


do i wanna know?

by seeds



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, dreamnotfound - Fandom
Genre: Complete, Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Fluff, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Crush, Slow Build, Third Wheels, dreamnotfound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27909034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeds/pseuds/seeds
Summary: both of these idiots have no clue what they're doing, and can't even fathom that mutual feelings is a possibility. and now, they're gonna meet. in. person. what's gonna happen? fuck if they know, stay tuned to find out!(also eventual song tie-in)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 108
Kudos: 611





	1. hit the deck, well, desk

This wasn’t the first time.

Dream had been here before.

On this couch.

He knew who would be sitting to his left. He knew that everyone was in the other room. He knew that someone else would walk into the room in about 30 minutes, but then quickly leave, without saying a word. He knew that they would get closer, and he would wake up soon after.

Maybe he could delay it. Maybe he could change the outcome.

Dream got up off the couch. He’s never done that. He walked into the bathroom and splashed his face with water. After standing in the mirror, he wondered if he’d still be on the couch when he went back out there. He closed the door as he left and approached the couch. He was still there. Sitting in the exact same place he always did.

Dream sat back down on the couch. If he didn’t turn to the left, it wouldn't happen. It simply wouldn't happen. Right? He could walk out the door right now.

But he didn’t want to.

Why would he want to? It’s not that he didn’t like it...it just confused him. This isn't normal, is it? He debated getting up, leaving the room, leaving the house, never coming back, ending the cycle. Would it solve his problems? Would it fisl anything? Or would it cause more problems? Maybe he should go.

But then he grabbed Dream’s hand, and he was sure he wanted to be there. He didn’t want to leave, so he wouldn't. And once again, just like before, he turned to his left. Dream was tracing the man’s face, not only with his eyes but with his hands as well. His face was soft, his eyes were dark brown.

How did they get here?

On his couch, staring at each other in a way that definitely was _not_ platonic. Dream couldn’t remember, only remembering the warmth they shared with each other. Somehow the most important parts were always skipped over. He could never remember the exact details. Both people ran their fingers through each other’s hair. His hair, unlike Dream's, was pretty short. Yet, it was still so soft. Dream replaced his hand on the other man’s jaw, cupping his face, pulling him closer…

_f u c k_

Dream opened his eyes. It was only a dream,

_again._

He threw his sheets to the side, leaving them in a mess against the wall. The cold air of his house hit him like a bus. He forgot how much he powered the air conditioner up last night. Dream sat straight up in his bed, sitting so that his feet lay flat on the ground. He placed his elbows on his knees, slamming his head into the palms of his hands. He did that a few times, before letting his head just rest there. He stopped before he got nauseous, before he got a headache. Patches meowed from across the room, where she sat on his desk. she looked so precious, so innocent. He looked at the time, then got up to feed her.

She walked with him to the kitchen, Dream practically dragging his feet across the floor, jumping on the counter as he prepared her food, and ate. Dream never got used to the smell of cat food. It always disgusted him, _especially_ after a strange dream.

He went to the bathroom and stared himself in the mirror. He studied his own messy hair, his dark eye bags. He wanted to punch himself, well, punch the mirror. And he almost did but realized it would do more harm than good.

“stop,” he told himself, “I’ve told you it isn’t normal to have those about your best friend.”

It was not the first time, and Dream was certain it wouldn’t be the last. The first time, he was so incredibly confused. He thought it had been because of the movie he watched that night since he talked to George right after the movie and the second until he went to bed. So he brushed it off, ignoring the fact that it was kinda bizarre. But the second time, and the third, and fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on, he knew it wasn’t out of the blue. He had buried his feelings the second he felt them, but couldn’t do the same in his sleep. Somehow it took his sleeping state for him to realize that he didn’t want George to _just_ be his friend. Sapnap said he should tell George, and almost convinced him, but he never did. He continued to shut out any feelings, he didn’t want to risk ruining his relationship with George with stupid feelings that could go away in a week.

And then weeks passed, and months passed, and the feelings hadn’t gone away. Sapnap was more than supportive and was always there to talk to Dream about it, but he always became frustrated when Dream didn’t believe him. But Dream had already convinced himself it was a lost cause. I mean, George _was_ straight, no doubt about it. If he told George, their entire friendship would be ruined.

So he’ll keep it inside.

* * *

Tommy, Tubbo, Quackity, Sapnap, Karl, and Wilbur were all hanging out in the call with Dream. They had just finished recording and decided to chill on the SMP for a little while.

Everyone knew that George and Dream would jokingly flirt with each other, especially the viewers, but Dream started to do it less as the weird dreams started. He had never minded it, but it felt wrong since he kept his feelings secret. He felt fake, so he stopped. Not fully, but mostly. George had eased off too, but they both made their jokes when the time felt right.

Their friends had noticed, and although he occasionally asked them to stop, they normally didn’t. He ordinarily didn’t mind, but after the dream last night, he was upset with it. They teased him a lot that day. Everyone started to do it again now, everyone but Wilbur.

Dream bounced his leg nervously. Everything had made him uncomfortable that day, he just never built up the courage to say anything.

“Guys, _stop_. Please.” Dream knew it wasn’t a joke. He felt like they knew. He felt like they knew how he truly felt about George. They were _mocking_ him. They were laughing at him. The _world_ was laughing at him. Laughing at his confusion, his frustration.

His stomach tied in a knot. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair before squeezing his head. He probably _wasn’t_ supposed to do that, but oh well. He didn’t care right now. He pressed his hands against his ears, digging the headset into the side of his head. It hurt. His head hurt. His friends didn’t realize how serious he was being. They continued, mostly just saying “Dream loves George!!” repeatedly, Tommy speaking over the rest of the call.

“You LOVE him, don’t you. Oh, Dream, don’t worry, it’s only George-”

“I said **STOP**!”

Dream slammed his hand onto his desk, it bouncing into the wall. Instant regret flooded through his entire body the second his hand made contact with the surface in front of him. Dream couldn’t tell if there were holes in the wall where the corners had hit it. The monitors shook, the four empty soda cans at different parts of the desk falling off, clattering to the floor. Patches jumped and scattered out of the room, hiding under the kitchen island. The noisy call was now dead _silent_.

“FUCK!” he screamed, right before spamming the leave call button until it finally worked.

Why did he _always_ fuck shit up? He shouldn’t have snapped like that. He had always dealt with their teasing, why couldn’t he do it this time? What an _asshole_. A complete and utter _asshole_.

He stood up, leaving his desk, and stubbing his toe on the way out of the room.

“GODDAMMIT!”

All his built-up frustration, he broke. How did that door frame manage to move _every_ time he left the room angry? He was tired. He was _always_ tired these days. He purposefully dropped to the floor and laid there. He practically cried himself to sleep. He hated that he _loved_ him, he hated that he did _this_ , he hated how he snapped at his friends, he hated everything he did, everything he was doing.

* * *

A few hours later, Drista walked through the door. “Dream? It’s me!” she called for her brother.

“Mom just dropped me off here, are you home?” He didn’t answer her.

“Dream?” Patches approached her, “Well, at least you're here.” she followed Patches through the house, and she practically led her to where Dream lay. He was on the floor, face still a bit red, asleep. “What the-” 


	2. i hope you're ok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter from george's perspective, lots of dialogue! enjoy :)

* * *

Tommy scoffed, “What was his deal?” Wilbur stopped.

“His deal? you all have no right to be upset with Dream.”

“Huh? Why? He just completely snapped at us.”

“He snapped because YOU made him. He asked you to stop. He presented his boundaries, built a wall over the lines he didn’t want you to cross, and you practically got a ladder, and climbed over it.” Everyone was silent. “I’m disappointed in you all.”

“I’m sorry I’ll-” Tommy began, his voice clearly showing his true worry. 

“Don’t apologize to me, asshole. THINK for once, then go apologize to the man you actually upset.”Wilbur disconnected from the call, a sigh escaping before he left. And at the same time, as Wilbur finished speaking, a new voice began to speak.

“Hey everyone! What’d I miss?” George said joined the discord right as someone left. The silence felt awkward, George could tell something had happened. "Hello?" No one spoke. "Am I muted or something?”

“No, no, we can hear you, George.”

“What's wrong?”

“Uhh…”

“What?”

“Dream got a little mad at us.”

“Well did you deserve it?”

“Yeah, I guess we did.”

“Ok, just make sure you apologize to him. I don’t want him to be upset. He doesn’t need to be upset.” The call went silent, and George knew that there was something more than what Tommy was letting on. “Are you sure-”

“Yes! Yes, I’ll handle it later George.” “

"Ok then Tommy, let’s play!” The group trolled around the SMP, planting traps and pranks in people’s homes.

“Should we do Dream’s?”

“Nah, let him be.”

George wondered what could’ve happened. He managed to catch the end of Wilbur's little ‘speech,’ and it sounded a lot more serious than Tommy was saying. He thought of Dream. He left their call because of it...he felt so bad he _left_. George couldn’t think of any _thing_ that made Dream that uncomfortable, or any _time_ he had been that uncomfortable. Fuck. Ok. He tabbed out of Minecraft and picked up his phone, opening iMessage, and opening Dream’s contact. He couldn’t remember when he put that heart there, only knowing that he _did_. It belonged there. He typed, then erased, then typed, then erased, over and over again. He spent 5 minutes simply trying to formulate the perfect message to send. 

* * *

**dream <3**

hey, how are you? Tommy said you were a bit upset earlier, you wanna talk about it? i’m here whenever, feel free to give me a call

* * *

He decided that the message would be fine, and sent it. He stared at the phone screen, hoping he would text back, but he didn’t. Maybe he went to bed, maybe he was eating, maybe his phone died. The list went on and on, and George assumed he was fine. But the back of his mind said otherwise. Dream had been distracted recently. He seemed off. George was worried, but Dream gave constant reassurance of his mental health. He was really defensive about it, so George knew when to avoid the subject.

“George? Are you there?”

“What?”

“We're leaving Eret’s house, are you coming with us?”

“Yeah! I’m here.” He continued on with them, but never really talked. He ran his fingers through his hair, still worried about his best friend.

“Um actually, I’m gonna head out guys.”

“Oh, ok, bye George!” George left the call and sat in his own discord, internally hoping Dream would join. He leaned back in his chair and thought. For a long time. There were a million things he could say to Dream, but he couldn’t.

“George? Are you ok?” George jumped at the sound of Sapnap’s voice. He didn’t realize that he had zoned out and that he was so deep into the thought that any slight noise was made, especially since it traveled straight into his ears through his headset.

“Oh! Hey Sapnap, yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You left really quickly. Is everything alright?” George sighed. He knew he could trust Sapnap. George always went to sapnap when he needed to talk about Dream. Sapnap always seemed like the perfect person to approach, and he never found it weird. Actually, he gave George great advice, and always wanted to push George to admit everything. George never did, but he debated it in the past.

“Yeah...have you talked to Dream?”

“...about?”

“About whatever happened today.”

“Oh, um, not yet.”

“Was he really upset? Tommy didn’t seem too truthful.” A deep sigh came from the other end of the call.

“Yeah, yeah. He was pretty upset.” George was disappointed.

“Can I ask you what happened?”

“Umm…” sapnap didn’t talk. They sat in the quiet call, many different situations raced through George’s head.

“Hello?”

“Oh, sorry. I guess I could say we were teasing him?”

“Really? That’s it? Why was he so upset then?”

“Uhh, probably what we were teasing him about.”

“Which was…?”

“That’s for him to answer himself. Not sure if I could tell you that one myself.”

“I hate you Sapnap.”

“Sure you do.”

They went on talking about youtube and twitch, and planned a stream for the next week. Luckily, he and Sapnap were actually on the same MCC team, so they practiced together.

“Hey, Sapnap?”

“Yes, George?”

“You reckon Dream’s ok?” sapnap paused.

“I sure hope so.”

“Did he seem ok?”

“He got...angry. You know how he beats himself up if he does anything even _slightly_ rude.” George did know. Even if warranted, Dream got angry at himself when yelling at anyone out-of-character. George always tried to help him through it, but Dream was too tough on himself.

“What did he do?”

“It wasn't his fault, quite frankly. He told us to stop and-"

''What did he do?”

“I think he hit his desk, like _really_ hard.”

George sighed, “Oh.”

“Yeah.” He could hear Sapnap's frown

“I'll talk to him about it.”

“Don’t let him know I told you! Just let him know you're there for him, and that you care. Try not to bring up many details.”

“If only he knew how _much_ I cared.”

“You really need to tell him.”

“Not doing that now sapnap.”

“You suck, George.” 

* * *

It had been around 3 hours since George texted Dream, time seemed to move so slow. He checked his phone every minute at this point, waiting for a text or a call. But there was none. He thought he should take a nap. He pulled his brightness up and positioned the phone in front of his face, that way if he got a notification, it would blind awake. A few minutes later, his plan worked. Except, the text was from Sapnap. 

* * *

**sapnap**

i have class rn

it might seem weird

but i asked his mom if she had heard from him and she said drista just went over there like 30 minutes ago

so i think he’s ok

oh yeah

great, that’s really, _really_ great

i’ll call him later than

thanks, dude

* * *

George turned off his phone once again. He wasn't worried about Dream as much anymore. He knew that his sister was there to help him if needed. Although he still had a bit of trouble falling asleep, George fell asleep for what would be a 2-hour nap, in which Dream would awaken the second he fell asleep. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i updated this story rather quickly, but thank you for so much love on this story. see you soon, stay safe! <3


	3. soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a dialogue-heavy chapter, enjoy!!

* * *

Dream woke up, feeling only a tiny bit better than before he laid down. He rubbed his eyes, bringing his senses back to life. Did he hear something? He stood up, looking into the living room. He didn’t say anything, only stood in shock.

“Oh, hey sleepyhead!” Drista briefly looked up at her brother before looking back at the quiet television. He began to stutter as he tried to question his sister.

“When did you- Where did you- How-”

“Only about an hour ago, Mom dropped me off after school. It’s a Friday so she didn’t really care.”

“You’re spending your Friday night _here_? Why?”

“I haven’t seen you in so long, I missed you.” Dream walked behind the couch and towards the kitchen, ruffling his sister’s hair.

“I missed you too, kiddo. Now, are you hungry?” Drista nodded, and he began to cook. Dream actually loved cooking and spent a lot of time learning how. He always cooked something nice when he had guests but only decided to heat up some canned soup this time around. He passed Drista a bowl and sat at the other end of the couch.

“So, why were you sleeping on the floor?”

Dream’s hand stopped as he raised his spoon to his mouth. He practically froze at the question. What do I tell her? Do I lie? How do I explain without being an asshole?

“Dream? You there?”

“Huh? Yeah! Yeah…”

“so?”

“Uhh, I-I, I didn’t…”

“What? Yes, you did, dummy. Did you forget already?”

“Umm…”

They sat in silence again, the quiet sounding louder than their voices did.

“Dream?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you ok?”

“What?”

“You seem...off? I can’t explain it. You’re distracted. Lost.” Dream sighed, running his fingers through his knotty hair.

“Not really.”

“Why? What happened?”

“George.”

“Huh? Is he ok? He seemed fine the last time I spoke to him.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s perfect. That’s kinda the problem…”

Drista thought for a second, then dropped her spoon into the bowl. “O H.”

“Yeah…”

“So did you tell him?”

“No! No, I would never.”

“What? Why not?”

“It would most DEFINITELY ruin everything.” “

No, it would not!”

“How would you feel being best friends with someone who secretly loved you?” He said the word.

“Love?”

“LIKE! Like! I didn’t mean that-”

“BRO! How are you so blind?”

“What?”

“He SO likes you too!”

“Nope, nope! You sound EXACTLY like Sapnap. I won’t hear it from anyone else.”

“But-”

“Drop it.”

Dream became serious, and Drista decided to back off. They then talked about normal sibling things, like school, work, family, etc. He grabbed some spare bedding from the hall closet and made the bed in the guest bedroom. Drista walked in, settling herself in for the night. Dream then went to his own room. He stood there, his mind was completely blank. He needed to think. He left his room once again and went into the bathroom. He made the shower a bit colder than normal, trying to calm his nerves. 

* * *

Dream’s shower was a bit longer than usual, but he didn’t have anything to do so it didn’t matter. He rubbed the towel against his hair, as it was dripping all over the floor. He looked up at the mirror, pondering how George was.

“Shit, George!” He yelled in a whisper, realized he hadn’t checked his phone since they even _started_ recording, which had to be over 5 hours ago. He rushed out of the bathroom, his feet sliding on the relatively cold floor. He quickly threw a sweatshirt and sweatpants on before yanking his phone off of his desk.

“ _Fuck_.” Dream had 7 missed calls and 31 missed texts from Sapnap, 2 missed calls from Tommy, 4 missed calls and 1 text from George, and many more. “Oh _fuck_.” First, he texted his mom, letting her know that he and Drista were well. Then, he texted Tommy, who was surprisingly still awake. Tommy took the opportunity to call Dream and apologize for what had happened earlier that day. 

“Hey, Tommy! What’s up?”

“Ay Dream! I, uh, just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. On the behalf of us all, it was really uncalled for.”

“No, no, no, Tommy. Don’t apologize, please. I really shouldn’t have snapped like that and I should’ve said something-”

“Dream. First off, you _did_ say something. It’s our fault we didn't listen. Although it was a bit aggressive, you have every right to be upset. So, once again, I’m sorry.”

Dream didn’t know what to say. Him beating himself up over everything was normal, it happened a lot, and others’ words never changed that. However, this time, it felt alright. He felt like Tommy was right.

“Oh. Well, thank you, Tommy.”

“Of course man.” They talked for a few minutes longer.

“Well, I’m gonna head to bed, g’night Dream.”

“Goodnight Tommy! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He then hovered over Sapnap’s contact. He knew that he was two seconds away from getting yelled at. All the texts were of Sapnap’s worry or apologies. Sapnap was always worried about Dream, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just _different_. The phone rang, 3 times to be exact. Dream thought he would have to leave a voicemail, but then, the ringing stopped.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sapnap…”

“Dream!”

“Hi…”

“Where were you? I was so worried, George was worried-”

“George was worried? Why?”

“Uhh, just because you hadn’t called him, just text him back once you hang up.”

“Alright.”

“So? How are you?”

“Why do you sound all worried?”

“I know you. Did you get mad at yourself once you left?”

“...maybe.”

“ _Dream_.”

“Yes?”

“I told you to stop doing that-”

“I know but-”

“No. No buts. stop it.”

“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“But you love me!”

“Sure I do.”

The two talked for a while before Dream hung up to reply to all his other messages. A few from the others in the call, but nothing too major. Then he got to George’s. 

* * *

**george <3**

hey, how are you? Tommy said you were a bit upset earlier, you wanna talk about it? i'm here whenever, feel free to give me a call! :)

?are you still down to call

of course! give me just one minute!

No matter a text, call, letter, hell, even a Minecraft sign, George’s words always managed to make him feel better, even in the worst times. It only took a minute for George to respond, which surprised Dream a bit, since it was quite late in Britain. 

* * *

Dream collected his breath, waiting for the call. And when it came, he still smiled at the name that plastered across the screen, as if the call was unexpected.

“Hey George!”

“Dream!” George’s voice sounded raspy.

“Did I wake you up? You can go if you want it’s-”

“No! No, no, it’s ok. I’d rather hear you talk.” Dream smiled, the silly comment warmed his heart. He knew something rather small like a stupid compliment towards Dream meant nothing to George, but it meant the world to Dream. “How was your day?”

“It was fine...I guess.”

“Tommy said something happened but didn’t let me know any details, wanna talk about it?”

“Not really, they were just teasing me, and I got irritated. I probably shouldn’t have.”

“Well, did you ask them to stop?”

“Yeah…”

“Then it’s fine. Forgive and forget! Don’t worry about it too much, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Yeah. I guess it was.”

“There you go, Dream!” George sounded so proud of Dream, which quite honestly, made him feel _so_ much better.

“Well, how was your day?”

“It was really good, actually!”

“Tell me about it.”

“I don’t want to rant or anything-”

“George! Just talk. I love listening to you.” And so he did, reciting all the details of his day. Dream adored him. He could tell that George’s eyes lit up with everything he said. He was so excited, and Dream was glad he was. Is that normal? He still listened but didn’t notice when George had stopped talking.

“Dream? Are you there?”

“What? What did you ask?”

“Nothing...are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, just distracted.”

“About?”

Fuck. _Ok Dream,_ he thought, _find a cover-up. Cover up, cover-up._ “Just a song, nothing much.”

“Do I remind you of it?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. Yeah, you do.” Silence filled the air. Dream needed to save the conversation and a brilliant, yet very spontaneous, an idea entered his mind.

“Wanna come to Florida?”


	4. burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning!! this chapter talks about physical burns and doctors, so if you are triggered by either of those topics, i don't recommend reading this chapter. this chapter is also from a duel perspective, and switches between George and Dream, but it's pretty noticeable. 
> 
> the song used in this chapter is "do i wanna know" by arctic monkeys!! (hint the title)
> 
> enjoy!

* * *

“What?!”

“You heard me! Come to Florida!” George coughed, bewildered at the thought.

“We've wanted to meet up for so long, I’m sure sapnap can get here too.”

“For how long? It seems boring going for a short week.”

“Who said it has to be a week? You can stay for as long as you want! I really don’t care. The house is rather empty anyqays.”

“I don’t know…”

“We can talk with sapnap in the morning, _please_ George?”

“Fine! Yes, I’ll come to Florida.”

“Soon?"

“Yes, as soon as humanly possible. Well, as soon as MCC is over.”

George heard cheers erupt from the other side of the call, which made him burst into laughter. The happiness temporarily removed the nervousness that resided in his stomach. Going to see Dream? In-person? One half of him is saying it is about to be the _best_ vacation ever.

The other half? The other half of him is terrified. What if he fucks it up? What if he tries to make a move, and Dream hates him? _Sapnap might be there_ , George told himself, _everything should be fine_. 

“Dream? What are you yelling about?” George heard another voice on the phone. Must be Drista.

“George is coming to Florida!”

“Really?!”

“Yes!”

“That’s great! Now be a little more quiet, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was. Goodnight Drista!”

“Goodnight Dream.” Both people talking to Dream could tell he had the biggest, brightest smile on his face, whether they could truly see him or not. Oh my his face, George is going to see his face.

“Well, I guess I should go to sleep then, George.”

“C-can we stay on call?”

Dream happily sighed, “Of course we can, George.” George rolled over, tucking the edge of his blankets under his shoulders. He got all comfy, speaking for one last time before quickly dozing off.

“Goodnight Dream.”

Dream smiled, finally having a good night for the first time in a while. “Goodnight George.” 

* * *

Dream woke up before George. He could tell because George hadn’t sent him a daily morning Snapchat of himself stuffing his own breakfast into his mouth. He stretched, before standing up and picking Patches up off of his bed.

“Hello Patches!” she lightly purred, before hearing rustling come from his phone. “Shit!”

He quickly muted himself before continuing with his morning. He stuck his AirPods in, before walking to the kitchen and feeding Patches. This time, he didn’t gag at the smell of the cat food. Sure, it still bothered him, but he was having a good morning. He felt _good_.

The thought of George being in Florida, with him, very soon, warmed his heart. The fine details didn’t exist, but the general idea was enough to heighten his mood. Dream brewed a cup of coffee, before starting to cook up some eggs and bacon. He heard shuffling down the hallway and turned to find Drista standing there.

“You’re up early!”

“Yeah, it smelt good out here.” Dream cheerfully smiled before turning back to the hot pan that seared in front of him.

“Why are you so happy this morning?”

“Don’t you remember? George is coming!” Drista laughed and punched his arm, a little too aggressively. His hand shifted, the back of his hand, right under his knuckles, hitting the hot pan.

“AH, FUCK!” He grabbed his hand, running to the sink and dousing it in cold water.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Dream! Uhh, I’ll go get you something.” Drista ran to the bathroom, knocking over Dream’s phone in the hunt for antibiotics. The call unmuted as his phone crashed to the ground. Dream simply wincing in pain with the occasional “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

* * *

George heard a scream from rather close to him, and jumped, startled. He heard running water, along with a crash and someone yelling “Fuck” repeatedly.

“Dream? Are you ok?”

“George? Hey, you’re awake! How are you?”

“Are you _ok_ , Dream?” The other man winced from the other side of the call.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“Here Dream! I found some Neosporin! Let me see your hand.” He heard rustling from the phone. “Oh, that’s _bad,_ Dream. Should you go to the doctor’s?”

“Dream? What’s going on?”

“I should be fine, right? Just hand me the antibiotics.” Drista did, and Dream winced again.

“Put your sister on the damn phone.” Dream sighed. He didn’t want George to worry, but he really had no other choice.

“Grab my phone, disconnect bluetooth, and talk to George.”

“Umm, alright.”

“Hello?”

“Is Dream alright?”

“Uh, I kinda accidentally made him burn his hand on a pan.”

“Yikes, can you send me a picture of it?”

“Yeah, give me a second. I’m gonna put you on speaker.” The audio changed slightly, becoming a bit more echo-y. “Ok, hold out your hand now.” George sat silently, and Drista sent the photo and turned the stovetop off. George received an iMessage notification and opened it as quickly as possible. The second he saw it, he himself winced.

“Dream! You _have_ to see a doctor. That’s really bad.”

“I think I’ll be-”

“No. You’re going. Drista? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Can you make sure he goes?”

“Yeah, I can think of away.”

“Great. You two go do that, and have Dream call me once you’re done.”

“Alright! Goodbye, George!” Drista happily spoke to George, happy that _someone_ is there to help Dream. 

“But-”

“Goodbye!” George yelled, and he hung the phone up. 

* * *

“You heard the man. Get up, we're going to the doctors.” Drista grabbed a potholder, throwing the ruined food into the garbage can.

“You can’t make me.” Drista stared at Dream with dead eyes.

“You don’t go, and I’ll tell mom.”

“You wouldn't dare.” she reached into her pocket, grabbing her phone.

“Fine! Fine, we'll go. Get some shoes on.” Drista smiled, setting the pan into the sink and walking back towards the guest room. Dream sighed, single-handedly rummaging through his closet, looking for a sweatshirt. He grabbed a random one, slipping it on over his t-shirt, and grabbing his keys.

“Ready to go?”

“Mhm! I call the radio!” Dream sighed, opening the front door and locking it behind him, Drista running to the car.

“This is gonna be a long ride.”

* * *

“Ok, well you’re all ready-to-go! It should heal just fine, just apply this antibiotic and change the wrap every day. Go easy on it, and you’ll probably be healed in a week or so.”

“Alright, thank you!” He grabbed the small bag the doctor gave him and they left, heading back to the hot care that practically cooked them in the Florida summer heat.

“Shouldn’t you call mom? Or George?”

“I’ll do it when I get home. Wanna grab something to eat?”

Drista nodded, and they headed to the nearest Denny’s. It was definitely far past breakfast time, but they really didn’t care. Both of them were hungry. They had a good time, before taking their leftovers and leaving.

He dropped Drista off at home, quickly seeing his family before heading off, leaving to return to his _own_ home. He hit play on his Spotify playlist and cranked up the volume, before backing out of the driveway. And, of course, it was _the_ song. _The_ song that reminds him of George. The lyrics plagued his mind, making him even more excited for George’s eventual arrival in the coming time. 

> _Have you no idea that you're in deep?_
> 
> _I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week_
> 
> _How many secrets can you keep?_
> 
> _'Cause there's this tune I found_
> 
> _That makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat_
> 
> _Until I fall asleep, spillin' drinks on my settee_
> 
> _Do I wanna know?_
> 
> _If this feelin' flows both ways?_
> 
> _(Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay_
> 
> _(Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made_
> 
> _For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day_
> 
> _Crawlin' back to you_
> 
> _Ever thought of callin' when_
> 
> _You've had a few?_
> 
> _'Cause I always do_
> 
> _Maybe I'm too_
> 
> _Busy bein' yours_
> 
> _To fall for somebody new_
> 
> _Now, I've thought it through_
> 
> _Crawlin' back to you_

He looped the song, playing it over and over until he finally arrived home.

It really got him thinking. What would happen while George was here? He wanted to tell him, to finally admit how much he _truly_ cared for him. He liked George, maybe a bit _more_ than a friend should. Thinking back to what Sapnap said, George _might_ like him back. Might he? Dream could only hope. He vowed to himself to tell George before he left Florida. He parked the car, before grabbing his phone, taking out his keys, and leaving the car.

It was a bit more difficult to lock it since he was only supposed to use his left hand. Opening his phone, he checked the time and the date. _Fuck_. It was Friday. And Saturday? Saturday was MCC. Dream glanced back down at his hand, standing in the heat of his Florida driveway. Dream couldn’t really move it much, and he wasn't supposed to for a little over a week. Dream wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his good hand. Maybe he should go inside and call George back.

Yeah, good idea Dream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, rip dream's hand. mcc won't be the same without him. i'll update again soon, stay safe everyone! <3


	5. mindless thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> worried george :(

* * *

George wasn't worried at first. Dream was an adult, and George trusted him to take care of himself.

But then, he _didn’t_.

George saw how bad the burn was. He knew that _Dream_ saw how bad the burn was. He knew it hurt like hell, so why didn’t Dream care? It was _his_ _own_ hand, but even as he was in extreme pain, he only seemed to care about how George slept. It concerned him quite a bit. 

When it came to Dream, George was often somewhat worried for him. Dream plagued his mind most days. George couldn’t tell if it was a normal friend thing. I mean, he didn’t think about Sapnap like this, or Badboyhalo, or Quackity, or Karl…. The list goes on and on. The moral of the story, he _knew_ he liked Dream.

And it fucking _sucked_.

He was _sure_ Dream didn’t feel the same and mentioning it would just break them apart. George didn't want to hurt or worry Dream. Gosh, everything about him _was_ Dream. His thoughts wandered back to the picture, the horrible injury Dream clearly didn’t care about. George convinced himself he was overthinking things. _Dream is at the doctor’s_ , he thought, _he’ll call soon_. 

But after an hour, Dream still hadn’t called, and George was getting worried. After the careless behavior shown earlier that day, George didn’t what the _fuck_ his friend was doing. He decided to ask no other than Sapnap since he would be the only other guy that could possibly know. 

* * *

**sapnap**

have you heard from dream at all today

i’m starting to get worried

no, why?

i’m calling you

* * *

“George? Why are you worried?”

“So you _haven’t_ heard from him?”

“No, I just said that.”

“Fuck.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Drista accidentally made him burn his hand today, I just don’t think he cares.”

“If he’s not worried, it’s probably not that bad. He’ll be ok.”

“No, you don’t get it. Look at this picture of it.” George screenshotted the picture, sending it to Sapnap.

“Oh fuck. Yeah, that's pretty bad.”

“So you see why I’m worried?”

“Yeah, did he get it checked out?”

“As far as I know.”

“Trust him, man! He’ll get back to you soon enough, and you can check on him then.”

“I just-” George sighed. He wasn't a very emotional person and actually found it utterly difficult to express his emotions. However, when something truly worried him, he never held back. “I want him to be ok. He seemed like he didn’t care, Sapnap!”

“George! Breathe for a second, alright? he’s probably driving or sleeping or something. Don’t worry too much, unless he doesn’t call for, like, 10 hours.” George took a deep breath.

“Thank you, Sapnap.”

“Of course! Now, wanna hop on the SMP with me? I’m gonna start streaming.” 

* * *

“Hi everyone! Hi! Hello!” Sapnap was giddy with excitement, ready to show the stream the base he had made all by himself.

George himself was entirely impressed since Sapnap clearly didn’t know _shit_ about redstone. The only reason none of the Dream Team channels had a redstone challenge video uploaded was that sapnap refused to participate. Fucking idiot. He and Dream had to code everything. Not that George minded! Don't get him wrong. He absolutely _adored_ the late-night calls for coding. After sapnap would inevitably be bored out of his mind, he would either leave the call or fall asleep in his chair, his mic catching him snoring.

The times would mostly consist of no talking, with the occasional frustrated curse. However, George needed nothing more than Dream’s presence. It made him feel safe, better. He imagined him and Dream together, remembering how that would be quite possible in days. He wanted to hold Dream, or Dream to hold him. Was that platonic? George didn’t know, and quite frankly, didn’t care. He _wanted_ Dream, and hoped Dream wanted him as well. 

A deep breath interrupted his thinking, which exploded into a loud yell. “GEORGEEEEEE!!!” George jumped, the quick change from silence to screaming terrifying him.

“What the HELL, Sapnap?!”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes! Bad and I have been shouting at you and you haven't answered. You good?”

“Yeah! Yeah, no I’m fine. Just got a bit distracted.”

“If you say so! Now come on, we're gonna show the stream my new secret base!”

“Won't that make it _not_ a secret anymore?” Sapnap’s character stopped walking, he sighed.

“Oh well.”

* * *

Around an hour later, George’s phone began to ring from where he left it on his bed. He recognized the ringtone. It was the ringtone of only _one_ person.

“Sapnap! I’ll be right back!”

“Alright?” He was clearly confused, unknowing as to why George was so excited for a damn phone call. George muted his mic and jumped up, grabbing his phone, answering as quickly as possible.

“Hello?”

“Hey, George!”

“Dream! How was the doctor’s?”

“Well, there’s good news and bad news.”

“Alright, hit me.”

“Should we call Sapnap first? I never even told him. I feel bad.”

“He’s on the SMP right now streaming, and unless you want the stream to hear, you should stay here.”

“You know what? They can hear. I’d have to tell them at some point. I’ll just leave out the vital parts for later.”

“Alright, join VC 4.” Dream hung up, quickly swooping into the discord.

“I’m streaming!”

“I know! Just hopping in to update you, and I guess everyone else too. I’ll have to tell them sooner or later, and preferably sooner.”

“What's up?”

“The good news is, I’ll be ok in no time.”

“Huh?”

“There was a bit of an _accident_ this morning, which was NOT my fault, but the back of my right hand is completely fucked. And it will be for about a week.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s just say, Drista does NOT function well in the kitchen.”

“Yikes, how bad is it?”

“Well, I only really have one accessible hand, and it’s super sore. So, no MCC for me.”

“Damn, you had a hella good team.”

“I know! It fucking sucks. I let Scott know so he could get a replacement. In the meantime, I’ll have to accommodate my hand.” He looked down at the bandage. “How the _fuck_ am I gonna shower?” The call exploded with laughter, and Sapnap took it upon himself to end the stream so he could really talk with Dream and George.

“In all seriousness, how are you gonna take care of yourself?”

“Well, George and I made an agreement last night, and we were wondering if you could tag along?”

“Huh? Dream, you are being so extremely confusing tonight.”

“George promised to come to Florida asap after MCC, and now, he really has NO excuse.” 

“For how long? I could probably set out for a week, cause I _do_ have college.”

“I gave George a pass to stay as long as he wanted, so I suppose however long you want?”

“A week with you two dumbasses will suffice. I don’t wanna go _completely_ insane.”

“Hey George, are you chill with leaving at 12 am?"

“Yeah, my sleep schedule is fucked anyway. Why?”

“Well, looks like you have a flight booked!” George shot up in his seat.

“No?! I didn’t book anything yet.”

“Cause _I_ did, idiot.”

“Y-you can’t pay for my flight! You’re already letting me stay in your house for _who knows_ how long.”

“Too late, deal with it.”

“What about me, Dream?” The sound of typing filled the silence of the call.

“The earliest flight from Houston departs on Monday, you cool with that?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Great! One flight for Sapnap, booked! And _yes_ , I got you a flight back.”

“What about me, Dream? Do I not get to leave?”

“Well, until you know how long you wanna stay, you have a one-way ticket to Florida!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the support on this story!! i plan on continuing this fic for longer than the other, and i'll let you know if that changes. take care, and stay safe!! <3


	6. airport

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi in this story covid does not exist haha

* * *

Dream awoke from his slumber with a killer headache. It didn’t matter much; it's not like he was missing anything today.

He glanced down at his hand. _Fuck_ , it still hurt like a bitch. Drista had called him last night, apologizing once again. Dream reassured her that it was ok and that she shouldn’t feel bad about it. He reluctantly got up, feeding Patches before heading to the bathroom.

He unwrapped his hand, throwing out the old, dirty gauze that plastered his hand. It stung a bit. He couldn’t move much without pain spreading through his hand. He reapplied the ointment before rewrapping it. Dream heard a distant song from his room and dropped his things on the counter before running to his room, fumbling to open his phone with his left hand. 

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Dream? How are you?”

“Oh, hey George! I’m alright, my hand fucking hurts and I have a migraine. You?” Dream grabbed the 3-day old water bottle off his nightstand, popping an Advil into his mouth, and drinking the leftover water.

“Could be better. Cat got sick around an hour ago, and MCC is today.”

Dream sighed, running his hands through his hair. “It is, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry that you can’t play.”

“It’s alright! I need a break every once in a while anyway.”

“You push yourself too hard, Dream.” George’s voice sounded genuinely concerned as if he was _actually_ worried for Dream.

“I’m fine, dude. Don’t worry about me!” The call fell silent. Both people knew it was a lie. Both men knew George _was_ right, and both knew that Dream would do nothing about that. “So, are you ready?”

“For what? MCC or Florida?”

“Both!” Both of them chuckled.

“Oh shit, I’m gonna be late for MCC!” Dream laughed at his panicking friend. “I should start my stream.”

“Alright then.”

George sighed. “I don’t want to hang up.”

“Then don’t.”

“You can’t be in discord with us. It's against the rules.”

“I don’t have to be! I’ll mute up, and you can put your phone to the side. I’ll stay the entire time, and text you if I need to!” George smiled, a warm, comforting feeling running through his body. “If that’s ok, George?”

“I’d love that.”

“Perfect! I’ll be cleaning, speak to you later!” The call went silent, and George pressed the ‘start stream’ button.

* * *

“We did really well, guys!” Sapnap’s voice rang through the call. He sounded happy like he genuinely enjoyed this MCC. All 4 teammates agreed, having shared a good experience. They may not have won, but that didn’t seem to bother George the way it usually bothered Dream.

“I’m gonna go end my stream guys. Catch you all later!” George said, and the rest of the call said their goodbyes. George left the call and turned to his stream chat. “I’m sorry, guys! As much as I’d love to hop on the SMP with Sapnap and Karl, I actually have somewhere to be now.” Chat was confused, knowing the time was late in Britain.

“Goodbye, everyone! Have a good night! Or day! Or-” The stream ended, and it became quiet in his room. He sunk into his seat, finally having a second to relax.

“GEORGE!” He jumped in his seat, the loud scream terrifying him.

“what the fuck, Dream?!”

“You did so well, George!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Look at the leaderboard!”

George was still logged into the server and brought his character over to the single-player leaderboard. “Holy shit! I got 6th!”

“Hell yeah, you did!” George smiled, knowing Dream was genuinely happy for him. It felt good knowing Dream was proud of him. He glanced at the corner of his computer, and immediately shot up, grabbing his suitcase from the corner of his room. “Shit!”

“What's wrong, George?”

George shut off his computer, sliding into a comfortable hoodie. He slipped on an untied pair of sneakers and shoved his phone charger into his bag, along with an old neck pillow he had gotten a few years ago.

“I’m gonna be late!” He ran out of his room and slipped a note onto the counter for his parents. Holding his phone to his ear with his shoulders, George locked the door and was somehow able to grab a nearby taxi. “Ok, I’m gonna switch over to texting, Dream.”

“Ok! I’ll see you soon, George! Stay safe, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I will.” 

* * *

George was running for the terminal. If he had paid attention to the time, ending stream earlier, he wouldn't _have_ to be running. George debated running, maybe he could find a later flight.

But that would mean more time without Dream, more time without helping him, and wasting Dream's money. He was looking forward to this flight more than he’d like to admit. Not just to hear Dream again, but to _see_ Dream, hug him, be with him. He had imagined this day more than a dozen times, but he never imagined it would be this stressful.

“The last call for Flight 4101, departing in 1 minute.”

George’s mind was racing, much faster than his legs were moving. He hadn’t run like this in so long. 30 seconds. He ran up to the flight attendant, slamming his ticket onto the podium in front of him. She nodded, allowing him to enter the plane.

He quickly found his seat, and the plane was oddly empty. Probably because it was a later flight. He whipped his phone out, attempting to send a text while he still could. A worried Dream was on the other side of the screen, wondering why George hadn’t texted him back in a little while. George typed as fast as his fingers would move.

* * *

**dream <3**

sorry to worry you!

i was almost late, but i made it

good, i was so worried

i’m really excited to see you

we're about to take off, i’m gonna lose wifi

i’ll text you once i land

:( i’ll miss you

it’ll only be 8 hours

that’s a lot

* * *

George started typing one more message. It was a risky one, but just as he was about to hit send, he lost connection.

He sighed and fixed his neck pillow. He tried to get some sleep, but in a small plane seat, and with a screaming baby in the back, that was mission impossible. George grunted before turning and looking out the window towards the disappearing city below him. 

* * *

When he finally stood up, he felt more tired than before he had _finally_ passed out on the plane. It was still dark outside, George had forgotten about the 5 hour time difference that separated him and Dream.

He glanced at his phone. If he did the math right, it was currently 3 am. He groaned, before texting Dream that he had landed. Once he responded, it finally brought some life back into George. Knowing that Dream was close made his heart flutter. He quickly decided that that wasn't a normal friend-thing to do. It was _much_ easier to differentiate the two feelings after he _finally_ admitted he had them to Cat. Cat didn’t seem to care, but he was glad that there was no voice to respond. His phone buzzed a few times before he looked at it. 

* * *

**dream <3**

what terminal are you in?

hello? 

george i stg if you’re dead-

sorry! i got distracted

terminal 3! i’ll be at baggage claim

perfect! 

wait, how will i know when i see you

idk, figure it out

* * *

George sighed, pocketing his phone. He didn’t know what Dream looked like, how was he supposed to find him? He had a description. A 6’ 3” man with not short, but not long, dirty blonde hair. He was tan and had some freckles. The green-eyes didn’t matter to George much, probably cause he couldn’t see them. 

When he finally got to the baggage claim, he waited patiently for his bag, and when it showed up, he approached the conveyor belt. He kept looking around for a man that could possibly be Dream, but no one matched the description he was given.

He reached for the bag, heaving it off the belt. He forgot how many things he had shoved into the suitcase. He didn’t know how long he would be staying, so packing more than he usually would felt like a good idea. It was heavier than he liked to admit. His scrawny “gamer boy arms” weren't exactly fit to roll this across the airport.

He pulled it out of the way of the other people, and once again pulled his phone out, desperately texting Dream, hoping that he parked close to the exit. He stared at his phone, waiting for a reply that never came. He grabbed the handle of the suitcase and took a step forward, before hearing a voice from behind him.

“Need some help with that?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooo they gon meet up- (also tysm for all the support on this story, it really means a lot <3)


	7. airport; the sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i bet you these dumbasses didn't notice the entire airport staring at them-

* * *

When George’s last message came through, a bit of disappointment spread throughout his body. He wished they could talk the entire time, but he decided that since it wasn't possible, he’d be productive.

He had already cleaned the house today, leaving the only option to busy himself being his laundry. He grabbed the basket and threw what it contained into the machine, turning it on, and walking back to his room. He couldn’t sit still, he _needed_ to be doing something. Luckily, Sapnap was still awake, and he gave his friend a call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sapnap!”

“Why are you so energetic?”

“George is coming soon!”

Sapnap chuckled “You didn’t sound as excited for my arrival.” Dream’s stomach dropped. Sapnap always managed to read him like a book. “Your secret's safe with me, Dream. I won't tell him.”

“Thanks, dude.”

“Now, that doesn’t mean I won't try to get you to tell him, or set you two up, or-”

“Ok! That’s enough. I called you to distract myself for a while.”

“Shouldn’t you try to get some sleep? You have to be there at like 3 am to pick him up.”

“Good idea. I’m gonna eat first.”

“You do that. Oh! I found an earlier flight, I can get there by tomorrow night! And don't worry about picking me up, I'm gonna get a rental so I can visit some friends while I'm there.”

“Oh, alright, love ya dude.”

“You too, man.” 

Dream glanced at the clock, he knew it wouldn't be able to sleep much tonight. The thought of George in Florida, with him, was a lot. _Especially_ since he didn’t know how he felt about his friend.

As much as he denied it, the back of his mind constantly reminded him that it was more than that. It was _much_ more than that. He reached for his phone and opened Spotify. He was on autopilot, going back to looping the song that constantly reminded him of George. Whenever he did, Twitter and it’s many ‘Dream Spotify’ accounts would ramble on, wondering who it could possibly be about. Most guessed correctly, but they were purely just joking about it , which Dream greatly appreciated. He knew none of the viewers were _actually_ serious. 

Dream flipped the light switch, his room dimly lit by the monitors on his desk. He turned to Patches, who looked eagerly at him.

“Sapnap was right, Patches.” He stroked her head, her quiet purring mixing in with the chorus of the song. “I _want_ George. And I _will_ tell him before he leaves.” 

* * *

The alarm that went off at 1:30 am wasn't delightful, and Dream was tempted to hit snooze and rollover. The fact that he had the dream _again_ that night, his last sleep before George would arrive, shook him up. He was seconds away from falling back asleep.

But then he remembered George. He wouldn't want to let George down. He unenthusiastically got up, and after turning on the light in his room, covered his eyes. The quick change from pitch black to bright light was something he wasn't prepared for. The sun usually provided a transition when he woke up at noon, but it didn’t exist at 1:30 am.

He quickly slipped on a pair of sweatpants, and after a bit of debating, grabbed George’s merch. It was quite possibly the _only_ blue sweatshirt he owned, and he really wanted to wear George’s favorite color when they met for the first time. The man couldn’t even see a lot of colors, so wearing his favorite color was a perfect idea.

Dream hadn’t cared for his appearance in a long time, but when it came to George, he wanted to look _good_. He splashed his face with cold water, trying to awaken himself. Drying his face and hand, he wrapped the burn. It looked, and felt, a lot better, and he was able to move his hand a lot more. Luckily for him, his thumb was free from the wrap, which made things much more accessible. Grabbing shoes and his keys, Dream left his house and began the dreaded hour-long drive to the airport. 

* * *

The terminal wasn't packed, but it wasn't empty. For being early hours of the morning, there were more people than Dream had previously anticipated.

The second George informed him that the plane had landed, he began scanning the area for George. He was fully aware that George wouldn't just be there, at the entrance, but that didn’t stop him from hoping. His legs were shaky, and sitting in the chair, he couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing. Why was he so nervous? He and George had been friends for years, and Dream knew very well that it wouldn't be awkward between the two.

But then, the thought that he might _make_ it awkward by saying or doing something stupid plagued his mind. He couldn’t lose George, not now, not ever. Why was everything so difficult with George? It was _never_ like this with Sapnap, or Badboyhalo, or Karl, or Wilbur, or-, you get the point. He only felt this way for George, which managed to confuse the ever-dying shit out of him. Just as panic was about to settle in, George had texted him once again.  
  


* * *

**george <3**

sorry! i got distracted

terminal 3! i’ll be at baggage claim

perfect! 

wait, how will i know when i see you

idk, figure it out

* * *

Dream chuckled at the thought of George, looking like a lost puppy in a large airport in a foreign country. That’ll be one hell of a sight, Dream thought, before lifting himself from the chair and heading towards the baggage claim. His heart was racing, nerves setting in for a final time on the long walk. What if he hates me? What if he thinks I’m ugly? Or annoying? He pulled out his phone, using his last lifeline.

“Dream? Why are you-”

“Do you think he’ll like me?”

“...What?”

“Will he hate me? Or, or, or will-”

“Dream! Calm down, deep breaths. You’ll be fine! He’s your best friend, and if he really hated you, he wouldn't have flown there.”

Dream sighed. “You’re right, I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, now go see him and let me get some sleep.”

Dream laughed, knowing Sapnap wasn't _actually_ mad. “Goodnight, Sapnap.” 

Dream pocketed his phone before looking up. There were a lot of people at the baggage claim. Knowing what George looked like gave him a _huge_ advantage, and allowed a million different opportunities for Dream to plan a sneak-attack. He decided that wasn't very fair, and instead, simply searching for the man would suffice.

His eyes fell upon a shorter man struggling with a large suitcase. Dream smiled, _yep, that’_ s _George, alright_. He turned, his back facing Dream. He pulled out his phone and began furiously tapping the keys, before sighing, and grabbing the heavy suitcase. He quietly laughed, before taking a step forward. He and his best friend were only a mere 10 feet apart now. 

“Need some help with that?” 

George turned, his eyes widening at the sight of Dream in front of him.

“Dream?!”

“The one and only, George!”

Dream knew very well that his friend wasn't fond of hugs, which is why it surprised him when George went barrelling into Dream’s chest, knocking him back a few steps. his already wide smile grew even larger. He felt himself blush as George tugged the back of Dream’s sweatshirt.

At first, he didn’t hug back, out of pure shock. But then, he did.

George nuzzled his head even further into Dream’s shoulder, which made his heart melt, and the butterflies in his stomach fluttered rapidly. He rested his head on George’s head, his hair was surprisingly soft.

George didn’t let go, but Dream didn’t mind just standing there, with George in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mind me screaming ahhhhhh!! hopefully, you enjoyed a quick update!
> 
> they met :) next chapter will be way more interesting (hopefully)


	8. lights out

* * *

The second George saw Dream, he didn’t hold back. Sure, it might’ve been 3:13 am, and he might’ve been the most tired he had been in a long time, but that didn’t stop George from running full-speed at Dream. He hugged him like it was his last seconds alive.

He felt Dream’s hesitation and wondered if he had _already_ fucked things up. But then, Dream wrapped his arms around George’s waist and pulled him closer, and George melted even further. Not only was he much shorter than Dream, but he was just smaller in general, and he fit perfectly in Dream’s arms. Was it weird to think he smelt good?

George buried his head deeper into Dream’s shoulder. He felt at home. Part of him wanted to let go, to further convince himself that he was _nothing_ more than a friend. But he didn’t and he held on for as long as he could. He muttered something quiet enough so that Dream wouldn't hear. 

"You're really pretty."

"Hmm? Did you say something, George?"

George didn't answer, nor did he repeat what he said. He continued to enjoy the sweet moment. 

“George?”

“Yeah, Dream?”

“As much as I would absolutely _love_ to stay here, your luggage is going to be stolen.” George jumped up, grabbing the handle of his luggage. “Do you want me to take it?”

“Isn’t your hand hurt?”

“I have two hands, George. Pass me the suitcase.”

Dream glared, his eyes showing heavy determination. George sighed, but eventually rolled the suitcase towards Dream. They began walking, and George immediately started yawning. He had gotten barely any sleep in the past 24 hours.

He found it a bit hard to carry himself, but Dream wrapped his arm around his shoulders and helped keep George on his feet. They didn’t talk much. Between George having been awake for almost 24 hours straight, and Dream having woken up at 1:30 am, both were too tired to strike up a clear conversation.

When they finally reached the car, George almost entered the wrong side, but then remembered that America was weird, and went to the right side of the car. When Dream had finally entered the car, he was bouncing his leg nervously. George leaned his head against the car window.

“Tired?” George nodded. “Me too. we have an hour-long drive to my house, so get comfortable.”

He tried to take the advice to heart, but the more once he closed his eyes, he was simply alone with his own thoughts. His leg bounced even faster. Why wasn't Dream talking much? Was it awkward? Did he hate him already? He was shaky, he couldn’t control it.

And then, Dream rested his wrapped hand onto George’s thigh, rubbing his thumb in small circles. Although this made George internally scream, Dream provided more comfort than he could _ever_ need, and George quickly fell asleep, the bumpy car ride not phasing his sleep.

* * *

He was awoken by the slight shake of his shoulders, and he barely had the energy to open his eyes. He was still in the car, and it was still dark out. Dream was no longer in the driver’s seat, but to his right, standing in the open door.

“George. We're home.” George grunted, turning his head to the left. Dream sighed, leaning against the car. “I don’t want to have to carry you, George.” George didn’t budge, a small smile spreading across his face where Dream couldn’t see. “Fine, come here.”

George turned towards Dream, wrapping his arms delicately around Dream’s neck. Dream slid his arms under George, one at his back, and the other at his legs, and scooped George up bridal-style. He turned his head towards Dream, resting it on his chest.

He wondered if he had been too heavy for Dream, but when the taller man showed no struggle, George hadn’t felt _too_ guilty anymore. He was half asleep, and he genuinely didn’t realize what was going on. He remembered laying in a bed, in a room he had never seen before, and quickly fell asleep. 

* * *

When he finally woke up, confusion first settled in, then realization. He finally gathered where he was and smiled, knowing that outside the door, Dream would be there.

The house smelt good, was Dream cooking? He stood up, ruffling his hair in a way he hoped was somewhat flattering. He quickly changed his shirt, then decided to leave the room. He went swiftly to the bathroom, and then out again. There Dream was, standing over a pan in the kitchen. He looked like he was struggling, as his right hand was still inaccessible.

He must not have heard George enter the room, because when George approached him, he jumped.

“Need any help?”

“Oh, shit! You scared me.” He laughed. “I could use some help, but last time I checked, you _can’t_ cook.”

George jokingly scoffed, “Says who?”

“Your Twitter.” George went silent, causing Dream to go into a fit of laughter. He was practically wheezing, backing away from the stove as he doubled over, clutching at his stomach. The picture of a burnt sausage was still there, and George now regretted ever posting it. “Well, I’m gonna help you whether you want me to or not.”

“Then go ahead and dice the onions.” George nodded and grabbed the knife and onion off the counter. He approached the cutting board and did as Dream instructed. It may not have been the neatest thing, but the job was done. He lifted up the small cutting board and walked over to Dream, who had just finished cutting potatoes.

“I’m impressed.” George smiled, his face still red from the onions which made him cry. “You have a little-” Dream ran his thumb under George’s eyes, removing the tears that still lay on his face. “There.”

He didn’t remove his hand from George’s face. He felt like he was about to combust. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until the timer went off, causing Dream to avert his eyes and attention from George. Was it weird to be _disappointed_ that eye contact had been broken? 

* * *

When they finally finished dinner, things felt relatively normal again. The weird moment that they had shared a short time ago seemed like a distant memory.

Dream had finished eating first, and washed his plate, placing it in the dish rack to dry. He sighed.

“Well, I’m off to take a shower! Make yourself at home, there’s a remote on the coffee table if you get bored.”

George nodded, his mouth still full of potatoes. He spent all of dinner _distracted_. Although they talked a lot, he couldn’t help but be _distracted_.

What would’ve happened if the timer didn’t go off? Would it have been awkward? Or would he have felt the same?

He watched the other man wrap a plastic bag, protecting his hand. Dream walked off, entering the bathroom down the hall. Eventually, George finished his dinner and washed his bowl. He didn’t want to seem rude, so he made sure everything he touched was back to where he found it. He cleaned all the utensils and made the kitchen look spic and span. He sat back down and glanced at his phone.

It had only been 5 minutes. 

He had no idea how long Dream would be in the shower, so he opened Twitter, and tweeted the following.

_*Anyone want me to say hi to Dream for them while I’m here?*_

The entirety of the replies assumed it was a joke. After the vlog, Twitter rarely believed them when they made meet up jokes, so he knew that when they _actually_ revealed that they were together, Twitter would explode. Just as he started to laugh, the lights went out. He knew it couldn't have been his friend, so he tried to fix the problem. 

George walked to the light switch, flipping it up and down a few times. It didn’t work. He tried again, but more aggressively. Still, nothing. The power must’ve gone out, and George’s phone battery was already low, with no way to charge it. He tried to get at least a minute of flashlight use, but it quickly died. Hearing the bathroom door open, George turned to the possible direction in the pitch black.

“George? Did you shut off the lights?”

“No.”

“Then we have a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what a hell of a night! 
> 
> thank you so much for all the positive feedback! it means the absolute world to me <3


	9. cuddle

* * *

In all honesty, Dream was completely shocked when the lights went out. He had just finished his shower and was unwrapping his had from the plastic bag that protected it from water.

He turned towards the light switch, and when he found no one messing with it, became a bit more concerned than he would if he had found George standing there. He had wrapped the towel around himself and peered out of the bathroom door at the dark house in front of him. He couldn’t see anything, the pitch-black shrouded the entire home.

“George? Did you shut off the lights?”

“No.”

“Then we have a problem.” Dream flicked the light switch 3 more times, with no results. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, which was still soaking wet. “Do you have your phone? For a flashlight?”

“No, it just died. Do you?”

“No, I left it in my room.” He didn't quite know what to do at this point. “Ok, I’m gonna try to make my way towards the kitchen.” Surprisingly, Dream hadn’t bumped into anything. Matter of fact, something had bumped into _him_.

“Ah, fuck!” George yelled, bumping into what felt like a wall. Dream held in a crude laugh.

“You ok, George?” His voice was much closer.

“Yeah, I bumped into something. Maybe a wall.”

“That was me, George.”

“...oh.”

Dream reached his hands out to find his friend in the darkness. “I’m gonna reach out for you, ok? Don’t get scared, it’s just me.” George finally found his friend, his hand meeting Dream’s chest. He removed it as quickly as he found it.

“Sorry!”

“It’s ok, George. Don’t sweat it. Here, take my hand. I have a lantern in my room we can use.” Hesitantly, George took Dream’s hand. He slowly walked through the house, his hand out in front of him, searching for any obstacles. When he finally reached his room, he did what he did best, and stubbed his toe on the door frame. “FUCK!”

“Are you ok, Dream?”

“Yeah, I do it like every other day.” George chuckled at his friend’s stupidity and was careful enough to not repeat his mistakes. “Ok, you can sit on my bed, I’m gonna rummage through my closet for the lantern.”

George went to sit on the bed but was met by nothing besides air. He crashed to the floor, with a quiet “ow.”

“Did you just fall off the bed?”

“...maybe…” Dream exploded with laughter, George picking himself up off the floor. He successfully sat on the bed, and Dream let out an

“Ah-ha! Found it!” He handed it to George. “Here, you can have it. Hopefully, it still works.”

“Thank you.” George pressed the power button, and luckily, it worked. The room was no longer pitch black, but dimly lit by a weak, handheld lantern Dream got for 5 dollars at a yard sale. 

Both men had smiled, feeling relief that at least _something_ had worked out that night. George looked up from the lantern, his gaze immediately falling upon Dream, who still hadn’t put a shirt on.

He admired Dream, wondering how he looked _so_ good even though he sat behind a computer all day. His entire _job_ required him to sit all day, and he still looked _amazing_.

George hadn’t really paid attention to Dream’s appearance yet today; he was too excited about even _being_ there with him. Gosh, he really was beautiful. Even if Dream had denied being attractive in the past, George found him to be one of the best-looking people he had ever seen. That’s platonic, right? 

He felt his cheeks become warm, he blushed. _Right, definitely not platonic._

Dream looked down at himself, his face becoming flushed with embarrassment. 

“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, George! I'll get dressed quickly.” George powered off the lantern again, giving Dream as much privacy he could in the small room. Patches rubbed against George’s leg, which made him jump. George wasn't scared of the dark, but what might possibly be in the dark. He was never a fan of horror movies, and Sapnap often called him a pussy for it.

“You ok, George?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I’m almost done, you can turn the light on now.” George did so, looking up at Dream.

“Promise you won't make fun of me if I tell you I’m scared.” A warm smile spread across Dream’s face.

“Oh, come here, Georgie.” Dream pulled him into a hug. “I’ll protect you.” Although it was said in a joking tone, George _did_ feel better. 

* * *

They finally sat on the couch.

“We can watch a movie!”

“Dream, the power is out…”

“My laptop is on the table, hand it to me.” George did so.

“You know, you could come a bit closer. Especially if you’re still scared.”

George nodded and scooched over towards Dream, who was sitting in the corner of the couch. He snuggled into his side, and Dream laid a light blanket over the top of both of them, leaving his arm protectively wrapped around George.

He hit play on the shitty movie he rented for 10 dollars, and George was fast asleep in minutes. Dream continued to run his fingers through the man’s hair until he himself had felt fairly tired.

George looked really pretty while he was sleeping. Was that creepy to say?

A little.

He muttered a few things in his sleep, which offered Dream a smile. He was happy here, with George in his arms. The time alone allowed him to think about his many feelings, and he finally sighed.

“Patches, are you there?” Her head perked at the end of the couch. He could see her through a small amount of the living room that was lit up by the laptop.

“Yes, you.” She seemed to understand everything he said. “I _definitely_ love him.”

He looked back down at George, hoping he hadn’t randomly woke up when he poured his heart out to his cat, and to his delight, he hadn’t. A sigh of relief and Dream was asleep. 

* * *

Within the next hour, Sapnap had arrived at Dream’s house. They had discussed leaving the door unlocked, as long as Sapnap remembered to lock it when he entered the house. He did, and the lights were on once he arrived, which he hadn’t expected since he had arrived at 11 pm.

“Dream? George? I made it!” No one answered, so he rolled his suitcase to the side, and slung his bag onto the kitchen island. “Hello? Are you guys-”

His eyes fell upon his two friends, who snuggled into each other on the couch. Sapnap smiled, hoping his _very_ oblivious friends had _finally_ realized their mutual feelings. The back of his mind told him that was impossible, but he didn’t lose hope _just_ yet.

He texted Karl and his parents that he made it to Florida safely. He sank down into the chair in the living room, taking a blackmail picture of his friends, before turning off the lights, and falling asleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're such idiots :)
> 
> (i'm really hoping i have a snow day tomorrow i just wanna write this)


	10. comfort

* * *

When George had woken up, the lights weren't on. He looked towards the nearest window, laying still on the couch. Some light had attempted to shine through the curtains, indicating that it was now daytime.

He wanted to move, but somehow, the pillows on the couch were oddly comfortable. Until the pillow rose and fell with his own breath. He realized that he had fallen asleep on Dream. The memories from last night flooded his mind, the warmth, the comfort.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you up? Shit, uh, I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, I’ll-” George held his finger up to Dream’s lips.

All he said was “shhhhh” before nuzzling his head into Dream’s chest. He wished he could stay there forever, on this couch, happy. He closed his eyes once again. Not to sleep, but to relax. It wasn't long until Sapnap entered the room, shouting from the excitement. I mean, where the fuck did he get the energy from?

“DREAM!! GEORGE!!” George jumped, knocking his phone off the couch. He groaned, staring at his friend with deep, but mostly fake, anger. Dream glanced down at George, before turning off his phone, and setting it on the arm of the couch.

“You scared George. I’m gonna fucking kill you.” Dream was about to get up, but George pulled on his arm. He looked at Dream longingly. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, looking deep into each other’s eyes. George always thought his eyes were nothing special, just a dark brown mess. But Dream’s? Dream’s eyes were like honey. He was glad that even though he couldn’t see the _true_ color of Dream’s eyes, they still looked gorgeous.

Sapnap coughed, clearing his throat along with the air. “I don’t know _what_ I’m interrupting here, but I’m fucking starving. Get in the kitchen, bitch boy.”

Dream sighed, “Alright, give me a minute.”

“Can I hop in the shower while you cook?”

“Of course, Sapnap! Towels are in the cabinet below the sink.”

Sapnap walked away, entering the bathroom and shutting the door. Dream turned back to George and pushed their foreheads together. George’s heart was racing, he hadn’t known what was happening or how.

Dream just closed his eyes and sat there, leaning against George’s forehead with his own. Dream soon got up, but not before giving a quick squeeze to George’s thigh. George just sat there, unaware of what that moment had even meant. He followed Dream to the kitchen, where he stood unwrapping his hand.

“Can I?”

Dream nodded, allowing George to take control of the situation. Dream _himself_ would become nauseous whenever looking at the burn, and didn’t mind if someone was there to help him out. George was gentle, not wanting to cause even an ounce of pain to Dream.

And that’s how it started, George helping Dream with the basic tasks that he struggled to do with his left hand. He helped him cook, and although Dream told him _everything_ to do, he was content. He helped brush his hair, squeeze toothpaste onto his toothbrush, tie his shoes, you get it.

The little gestures made Dream elated, he loved everything about George, and his caring nature only increased that. As they were eating, George noticed how Dream was getting better at using his left hand, adapting to the sudden changes. 

“So, anything planned for the day, Dream?” Sapnap shoved the last of his breakfast into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten for days on end.

“I was thinking of the beach if you’re all down for it.” Dream glanced at both of his friends.

“Hell yeah, dude!”

“George?”

“Sure, I’m down!”

“Great! Be ready in an hour?” Both Sapnap and George nodded, and Dream took their dirty plates to the sink.

“Do you want help, Dream?”

“Nah, I’ll do _something_ myself. You two just go get ready.” He didn’t want to let Dream struggle but wasn't in the mood to argue with him. Sapnap and George entered the guest room, where both of their suitcases laid.

“What should we do about sleeping arrangements?” He turned away from Sapnap, digging through his suitcase. 

“We can discuss with Dream later.” George flushed, only _slightly_ embarrassed about the interaction. “Speaking of which, what happened?”

“Oh! Nothing much, the power went out last night, and he noticed I was kinda scared, so we watched a movie and fell asleep.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah?”

“Dude! I thought you told him!” He lightly slapped George’s arm, then turned to his own suitcase. George leaned farther into his luggage, wanting to hide from this conversation.

“No! No, no...never.”

“Why not? You _gotta_ say something.”

“Not happening! Not true!”

“Bro, I know what I saw.”

“Sapnap, get off my back.”

“Don’t be embarrassed, George!”

“stop, Sapnap. Stop. It’s not gonna happen. Ever.”

“When are you gonna face it?! I mean, seriously-''

"SHUT UP! I WON'T SAY I LIKE HIM!” Both men froze, but for different reasons.

They looked at each other, both faces showing a million different emotions. Sapnap was scared, worried, sorry. His eyebrows were slightly raised, somewhat concerned for his friend. He knew he pressed too hard. George’s face was filled with anger, but sadness simultaneously. Tears filled his eyes, a few pouring over onto his cheeks. He seethed with rage, wanting to punch Sapnap in the face. But at the same time, he wanted to cry into his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll-”

“Just go, Sapnap. Just-” George sniffled, chokingly out a few lonely sobs.

Sapnap didn’t know what to do. The only two options were so clear, yet so unclear. Sapnap approached the door and was immediately met by Dream, who heard the commotion. Sapnap gave him a sorry look before leaving the room, leaving a sobbing George alone on the floor. Dream slowly opened the door.

Once he saw a collapsed George, sulking on the floor, he ran to his side as fast as he could. Dream had been alone in the exact same situation more times than he could count, and he knew that all George needed was comfort. Living alone, Dream knew how bad it sucked to be alone in these times. He put his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

Although he didn't know why George was crying, it wasn't very important. He just wanted to comfort him. 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, George! It’s ok, just breathe for me, alright? Can you do that?” George nodded, and eventually, listening to Dream talk helped him calm down. His lost sobs turned into few hiccups, where he could finally choke out a few words.

“ 'M sorry”

“No, no need to be sorry, George! It’s ok, you’re ok.” George smiled, once again, burying his head into his friend’s chest. He was glad Dream didn’t ask what happened. He didn’t push him to open up, and George was _more_ than content with that. George looked up, and Dream brushed his face.

“You still ok to go to the beach today?” George nodded, not wanting to speak just yet. “Alright, you go get dressed, and we can leave whenever _you_ are ready, ok?” George smiled and got up, giving Dream a signal to leave the room, which he did, leaving a happy George ready to go to the beach. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dumb little sapnap /j
> 
> expect another chapter today! i had a snow day and am taking some time to write :) thank you for all the kind words on this story! once it is finished, i will continue writing other stories! have a great day!


	11. beach

* * *

Dream left the room, running his fingers through his hair. He wasn't lying when he said he didn’t know what happened. He was finally done cleaning, and ready to go ask his friends a simple question. He heard a commotion, an apologizing Sapnap, and was utterly confused.

Once he had successfully comforted George, he clenched his left hand into a fist. He normally would do so on his right hand, but that wasn't exactly something that could happen at the moment. It may not have been healthy to do so, but it always made him feel better, so he continued to do it. Sapnap was standing in the kitchen, glancing at his phone.

Dream wanted to walk over to his friend, wanted to grab him by the collar and scream at him. He decided to be civil and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.

“Is he-”

“what the fuck did you do?”

“I-”

“You made him cry!”

“I know! I fucked up, I pushed him too hard about his feelings.”

“You know he doesn’t like sharing things like that.”

“Of course I know that! I just thought-” Dream backed away, accidentally interrupting Sapnap, pushing his hands against the counter. He just pushed and pushed and pushed the stationary counter, his veins appearing and muscles tightening. Doing something physical was the way he would release his anger.

“Dream, stop that! You’re gonna get hurt doing that.” Sapnap placed a hand on Dream’s shoulder, to which Dream aggressively flinched. Sapnap shot back a concerned look at his friend.

“Sorry, I just-” Sapnap pulled him into a hug, which Dream almost rejected out of anger, but then relaced into it. “I- I just-”

“shhh, ‘ts alright.” Dream stopped talking, allowing himself to embrace the comfort he deserved. He sniffled, and pulled away, not wanting to ruin Sapnap’s shirt. He was already dressed for the beach.

“You should go apologize to George.” He wiped his nose.

“Yeah, I probably should.” He walked away, ready to go makeup with his friend.

“Oh, and Sapnap?”

“Yeah, Dream?”

“Thank you, a-and would you mind i-if you could do that again sometime?” Sapnap smiled.

“Of course, Dream. Whenever you need it, I’m here.” Sapnap went off into the room, Dream looked down at Patches. She stared back at him, with a nice expression. He bent down, lightly scratching behind her ears.

“You’re the best.” 

* * *

A light knocking at the door caused George to jump a bit.

“George, can I come in?” Sapnap was quite literally the _last_ person he wanted to face right now.

“One second! I’m still changing.” George slipped his shirt on and zipped his suitcase closed. His eyes were still a bit puffy, his face a bit red. He didn’t know _why_ he cried. Was he angry at Sapnap, or at himself? Was he frustrated with Sapnap, or his current situation? “You can come in now, Sapnap.” The door slowly creaked open, and, while looking at the ground, Sapnap entered the room.

“I’m sorry, George. I didn’t mean to push you, you told me to stop a-and I didn’t. And I should’ve respected your wishes. So, I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Sapnap. Honestly. You didn’t mean any harm, let’s just move on.” Sapnap smiled, and they shared a quick hug before parting.

“I-is Dream alright? I heard you say something about him getting hurt a-and I don’t know.”

“Erm, he, he was like, pushing against the counter in like anger.”

“Anger?”

Sapnap didn’t respond to the question, which gave George all the information he needed. Dream was angry at Sapnap _for_ George. Meaning he cared about _George_. He nodded at sapnap, then left the room and headed to the bathroom, where he rinsed his face in cold water. An effort to calm the inflammation.

He walked out, where Sapnap and Dream were having what looked like a nice conversation. They were both ready, Dream having a bag with a few beach towels and some sunscreen.

“I’m ready if you guys are!” Dream nodded and shared a glance between the two men.

"Rock, paper, scissors for shotgun?” 

“Haha, I win! I win! I get to sit with Dreamy!” Sapnap stuck his tongue out at a whiny George.

“Not if you keep acting like _that_.” Dream grabbed his keys and phone off the counter. “Everyone got what they need?” Both Sapnap and George nodded.

“Do you have something to protect your hand, Dream?”

“shit, you’re right.” He walked to the kitchen sink, grabbing a bag from the cabinet underneath. “Thank you, Georgie.”

George normally hated that nickname with his entire heart but didn’t mind when Dream used it. Weird. The three men walked to the car, piling in the hot seats. The drive to the beach wasn't a long one, but quite annoying, since Sapnap insisted on blasting _his_ music. He sang very loud, and by the look on Dream’s face, George wasn't to only one who was annoyed.

“George is sitting up here tomorrow, and hopefully for the rest of the trip.” Sapnap groaned, but George smiled, content that Dream enjoyed his company. When they finally reached the beach and stepped out of the air-conditioned car, the heat knocked straight into George.

“Fuck, it’s hot here.” Dream only laughed at him and led them to an open spot on the sand. They laid their towels down, and Dream brought out the sunscreen. He gave it to his friends first, knowing he could handle any possible sunburn much better than George could. When they all finally finished, Dream wrapped his hand in a bag.

“Will you have to do that the _entire_ time we're here?”

“If you don’t want me to be in immense pain? Yes, yes I will, Sapnap. Now,” Dream tied the final knot and looked down at his friends who were still sitting. “Who's ready to swim?”

George nodded, taking off his shoes and shirt, ready to finally cool down from the Florida heat. He was used to much colder weather, and it wasn't easy to adapt. When he was done, he tried his absolute best to _not_ stare at Dream, but Dream did not make the same effort, allowing his eyes to trace George. Somehow, George only appreciated attention from Dream.

He normally hated when anyone had their eyes on him, but didn’t mind when Dream did. sapnap was already almost in the water, and in order to break the tension they had created, he decided to shout,

“Race you to the water!”

He booked it, and Dream hadn’t even started running yet. He felt him catching up, and right as he was about to turn around, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist and yank him backward.

He fell to the ground, Dream landing on top of him, hands above his shoulders. Dream winked before getting up and running straight into the water, leaving a stunned George on his back in the sand. He’d get back at Dream for flirting, whether he was joking or not. George usually wasn't the one to flirt, so he would _definitely_ leave the beach today having won this battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flirting at the beach, are we? 
> 
> double upload today? miracle :)


	12. window

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song mentioned : do i wanna know by arctic monkeys

* * *

When the transition from the hot sand to the cool water happened, a sigh of relief escaped his lungs. Why did he do that? Knowing for a _fact_ that George wasn't interested, that short moment could have fucked everything up. This was only George’s second day here and he was already making moves. Without a plan on _when_ he would leave, Dream knew that his entire trip would be torturous.

When he glanced up, he saw Sapnap approaching him. The three men soon began to act like children, splashing each other with seawater and pushing each other into the water. Dream brushed off the earlier interaction, and simply had fun with his friends. He didn't think you could technically they were _swimming_. It was more like, constant wrestling.

Sapnap was the most aggressive, this bitch was coming from _all_ directions. It wasn't easy, but he managed to defend himself from the “attacks” without hurting his hand.

Gosh, this was the most fun Dream had had in a while. He looked up at George chasing away Sapnap, who swam very far from them. George walked over, practically throwing himself at Dream in an attempt to knock him over.

 _Instead_ , Dream caught him and placed him back into the water. George simply stood in front of Dream, who looked down at George. _What’s happening?_ Dream couldn’t tell you, he couldn’t think. George places his hand onto Dream’s chest, neither of them averting their eyes from the other’s.

Dream could stand like this forever, staring down at George. George was smirking, and Dream was clearly flustered. He wasn't giving up this easily and decided to playback. He moved his hand under the water, placing it on George’s hip.

He clearly wasn't expecting it, and now both men were now blushing. George bit his lip, and Dream took the opportunity to pull him closer.

 _Do it,_ he thought, _go for it. It’_ s _now or never._ Just as he was about to lean in, about to take the chance, hands placed on George’s shoulders, yanking him backward. He fell under the water, clawing at the air. Dream looked up from George to find a cackling Sapnap. Dream shot him an angered glare, into which Sapnap responded with a confused look.

“Did I-'' Dream sighed. “OH!” Dream walked towards Sapnap through the water and lightly swatted at him, and it wasn't until his hand hit the water that he realized Sapnap had accidentally pulled the bag from his hand.

“Oh fuck!"

"Dream! Ok, um, let’s go back to our towels, we can probably wrap it in one of our shirts if anything.” Dream just nodded and cradled his hand. He followed Sapnap back onto the beach and sat on his towel. George approached them, wondering what had happened. “There’s actually a Rite-Aid just down the street, I can grab something from there. George, stay here with Dream.” And with that, Sapnap pulled his shirt on and walked off quickly.

George looked down at Dream, who held his right hand in his left. “Do you want me to unwrap it? It's probably not good to keep the soaked wrap on it.” Dream nodded, and moved over, allowing George space to sit next to him. He knelt down, beginning to undo the wrap. “What even happened?”

“Sapnap accidentally ripped it off.”

George lightly laughed. “He’s caused a lot of problems already.” Dream laughed along with him, to which they heard a voice from behind them.

“Already trashing me? I can go return these if you want-”

“No! Just give me those.” Sapnap handed the box to George and looked down at the healing burn on Dream’s hand.

“Damn! Does that hurt?”

Dream jokingly scoffed. “No, Sapnap! The back of my hand feels better than ever!” George laughed at the sarcasm, Sapnap just smiled.

“Did I lighten the mood?”

“Yes, yes you did. Can you start the car? Once we finish with my hand I wanna go eat.” Sapnap nodded, and Dream tossed him the keys.

“You think he’ll drive off without us?”

“Maybe, we'll find out in 3 minutes.” George laughed, and the tension in the air soon began to grow. Every time George’s fingers brushed against his own, his heart fluttered. He cleared his throat, hoping that he cleared the air too. George stood up, dusting the sand off his knees.

“Ready?” Dream nodded, and George offered a hand, pulling him up off the ground. Dream slammed the door shut as he sat in the air-conditioned car. He turned to his right, finding Sapnap sitting next to him. “You’re still here?”

“The deal was shotgun for the _day_. And last time I checked, the day isn't over. Can we eat now?” Dream pulled out of the parking lot, bringing the car onto the road. “Any ideas?”

“There’s this really good Chinese place down the street from my house.”

“Sounds great!”

“Ok! Pull up the menu online and one of you could order it.” 

They did so, taking Dream’s order, and calling it in.

“It’ll take 20 minutes.” “Let’s drive around until then.”

The town was really packed for being such a hot day, so they didn’t get to drive as much as Dream really wanted to. Once they picked up their food, it took George a while to convince Dream to let him pay.

To be frank, it didn’t even work. George only succeeded because Dream turned to sneeze, and since he sneezed three times in a row, George had the chance to pay. He went to the bathroom, and Sapnap and Dream went back to the car.

“So?”

“So what?”

“You like him.”

Dream turned the air conditioner up “Shut up, Sapnap.”

They got back home and ate in silence since they were all extremely tired. Dream headed back to his room, since George took the shower, and patiently waited, scrolling through Twitter.

Once he finally could, he went in, quietly played some music, and got in, the first song playing being _the_ song. Dream sighed, humming along, being careful not to be _too_ loud. After all, his friends were in the other room. 

> _Do I wanna know?_
> 
> _If this feelin' flows both ways?_
> 
> _(Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay_
> 
> _(Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made_
> 
> _For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day_

His mind floated back to the beach. Dream wished he could relive that moment over and over and over again. Was that a Dream? Probably.

How fucked, George was probably toying with his emotions. Then again, he doesn’t _know_ about Dream’s emotions. Dream turned off the shower and went back to his room. The time was 11 PM, and after minutes of tossing and turning in bed, Dream got out of his bed.

He hadn’t done this in a while but decided he should do it. To clear his mind. He opened his window, the Florida breeze immediately hitting his face. He took a deep breath, then slipped out the large window and onto his roof.

It wasn't difficult, nor dangerous. The window was rather big, even for the 6’3” _giant_ he was. The roof tiles were rough, and the _only_ time he nearly slipped was after the rain. He knew he shouldn’t go on the roof then, but he felt like he needed to. This was the best way for him to clear his mind. The air wasn't too humid, which felt really nice.

He sat there, leaning his head onto the side of his house, closing his eyes. He wasn't afraid to fall asleep there, he knew he wouldn't. His own name floated in his mind, which was really weird. He was only thinking of George, why was _his_ name there too? Then a loud gasp came, and Dream then realized someone had been calling his name. He looked to his side, finding a worried George running to the open window.

“Dream?!”

“George?” The older man stuck his head out of the window, relieved to see his friend, _alive_.

“what the _fuck_ are you doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dream on the roof, what will he do?
> 
> damn, these bitches really can't catch a break-
> 
> p.s. i do find sitting on a roof relaxing :)


	13. out on the roof

* * *

To be completely and utterly honest, George didn’t _only_ go looking for Dream to discuss unknown sleeping arrangements. He wanted to talk to him, possibly to cuddle again. He soon shook the thought from his head. The flirting at the beach _had_ to be a joke, Dream was straight, and so was George...right?

Sapnap had said Dream went back to his room after he showered, so that’s where George went. He knocked on Dream’s door once and had no response. He knocked again, a little louder, and for a bit longer than the last. Still having no response, he called Dream’s name. Shit, he stood there for almost 3 minutes. He didn’t want to barge in, but at this point, he didn’t have much of a choice.

George slowly opened the door, finding an empty bed and chair. He felt a breeze and glanced towards the flapping curtains. He gasped, not knowing what that even meant. Did Dream leave? Where the fuck did he go? Is he dead? He called his name once again and actually received a response this time. 

“Dream?!”

“George?”

“What the _fuck_ are you doing?”

Dream shot back a confused look, maybe the fact that George so utterly confused and worried about what his friend was doing on the fucking _roof_. “Me?”

George sighed, making a small gesture with his hands. “Who else would I be talking to?” He didn’t mean to sound so upset, but he did. _Maybe_ he meant to, he just didn’t want Dream to get hurt. Dream motioned for George to join him. “A-are you crazy? I’m gonna fall, _you’re_ gonna fall!”

Dream chuckled, bewildered at his best friend’s attitude. “I won't let you go.” such a simple sentence was somehow able to calm his ever-lasting nerves. Dream walked over, and George reluctantly took his hand. He couldn’t tell if the nerves were from being on a fucking roof, or from making physical contact with Dream.

“So? What _are_ you doing?”

Dream sighed, the smile disappearing from his face. “Clearing my head.”

“Is something wrong?” Dream didn’t answer, instead, quietly gulping. George didn’t want to push it, so he decided to drop the topic, looking towards the night sky. “The stars are out.” He felt Dream’s eyes burn into his skin, Dream just stared at his face. “They’re really pretty.”

“You’re really pretty.” 

\--- (pov change to Dream)---

The words slipped right out of Dream’s mouth. To be honest, he hadn’t thought about it before saying it. Simply staring at his best friend _felt_ like enough, but it just happened. He practically regretted it the second it escaped from his mouth.

“W-what?” George was now glancing at Dream, confusion spread across his face, along with a pink color. Dream was quick to sputter out an apology.

“N-nothing, forget I even said anything.” Dream looked back towards the sky. He wanted to punch something but didn’t want to scare George away, so clenched his fist as hard as he could. He tried not to wince, to not worry or alert George.

“Even if you didn’t mean to _say_ it,” Dream looked back at his friend. “Did you mean it?” George almost whispered the sentence. He felt like his throat was closing in, his words lost.

“Yeah, yeah I did. You’re really pretty.”

George looked back up at the sky. “I should’ve said it before, when I say I think you’re pretty too, Dream.” Dream’s heart was racing. He came out on this roof to calm down, not make himself more flustered. It was then he remembered his hand was still interlaced in George’s, and he squeezed it. George returned the favor, and the two sat in silence for an eternity, which, in reality, was only 15 minutes.

“Why did you come to find me, anyway?”

George laughed, his original purpose had completely escaped his mind. “Oh, sapnap and I was gonna ask about sleeping arrangements. I’m guessing he already crashed, though. I’ll just take the couch.”

“Oh come on now, George. We both know that couch is uncomfortable as hell.” Dream stood up, dusting off his pants, still holding George’s hand.

“I can deal with it, really. It’s-”

Dream shook his head. “Go inside.” George did what was said, and Dream shut the window behind them. 

\---(pov change to George)---

“I-if you’re comfortable, you could always share a bed with me?” George didn’t answer immediately, which panicked Dream. He glanced at the floor. “It’s ok if you don’t want to, I just-”

“I will.” Dream looked back up at George, who was smiling. I mean, who could say no to him? Dream too began to smile, setting his phone face-down on his desk.

“Great!” Dream laid down, leaving aside for George to lay in. George settled himself in, his back facing Dream. He was debating whether he should stay far away, or pull Dream in close. The air was quite cold, he hadn’t realized that he was shivering a bit in the house, the air conditioner lowering the temperature a lot. “Cold?”

George rolled over, facing Dream, who lay on his back, head turned to George. “Only a bit.” George lied.

“You can use one of my sweatshirts if you want." Hesitantly, he got up, grabbing one of Dream’s large hoodies from the closet, and putting it on over his t-shirt. He pulled his arms in and turned towards a smiling Dream. “You look cute in that, keep it.” He stood there, staring at Dream, who stared right back. Dream opened his arms, still looking right at him. “Cuddle?”

George nodded and enthusiastically climbed back into Dream’s bed. He fit right into Dream’s arms, and he thought about how he wanted to stay there forever.

One of Dream’s arms lay protectively around him, the other under with his hand twirling George’s hair around his fingers. His own arm found its way around Dream, the other staying on his chest. _Definitely. Not. Platonic._ George buried his head deep into Dream’s chest, and for a split second, he thought he felt Dream press his lips to his forehead.

If it actually happened, George would soon forget, as he quickly fell asleep, warm in Dream’s arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff
> 
> thank you for all the kind words on this story! it means the world <3
> 
> hello from my phone!! my computer has decided to break, and i have no clue when i can fix it, but i will still try my best in continuing to update :)


	14. morning

* * *

Dream awoke, the sunlight peeking through his half-opened/half-closed curtains. A weight sat on Dream’s chest, which concerned him until he realized it was George. Dream was lying on his back, George’s head on top of his chest, along with his arm. Their legs were a tangled mess. 

Dream certainty couldn’t move without waking George, not that he wanted to, but he  _ had _ to. Unless he wanted Patches to starve, he would have to get up in about 30 minutes to feed her. He closed his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't  _ have _ to wake George up. Dream didn’t mind staying there for half an hour, and wouldn't mind staying there for the rest of his life. It felt like an eternity, laying there, as still as humanly possible, but he was happy. 

George was beautiful, even when he had messy hair and possible drool on his mouth.  _ Yeah _ , he looked at the ceiling, _S_ _ apnap was _ _ right.  _ Running through his thoughts, glancing down at George, then at the ceiling, then at the alarm clock. The cycle continued until Dream could no longer lay there, and  _ had  _ to get up. He looked down at George and began running his fingers through his messy hair.

“George?” 

The older man groaned, snuggling further into Dream. He blushed, an uncontrollable smile spreading across his face.  _ No one _ ever made him this flustered in his entire life, why George? 

“George, I gotta get up.” George tugged on his shirt. 

“Mmm,” he paused, “no.” Dream lightly laughed. 

“No? I gotta feed Patches, take care of my hand, cook breakfast-” George lightly pushed his hand onto Dream’s face, hoping he would just shut up and lay there. Instead, he hugged George. “Not much of a morning person, are you?” Dream sat up, George still tugging his shirt. “Geoooooorgie.” 

He pulled back and soon realized that George would not be giving up anytime soon. George pulled and pulled, trying to get Dream to give in and lay back down. Alternatively, he bent down and slipped out of his shirt, which flung back onto George’s face, who pulled back, throwing the worn shirt back at his friend who was on the other side of the room. Dream laughed, grabbed a new t-shirt, throwing the old in his hamper, and left the room. 

The bathroom tiles were cold, like normal. Dream closed the door, allowing himself to look into the mirror.  _ I look better _ , he thought. He hadn’t got a great night’s rest for a little while now, but somehow, he slept better when George was around. Everything about him was George. 

_ Fuck _ , he’s in deep.

He tried to fix his hair a bit, ruffling the knots into a somewhat-pretty mess. Unwrapping his hand, throwing the used Rite-Aid shit into the garbage. His hand had healed fairly quickly, and he was able to move it with much less pain. Sure, he might have a bit of a scar when it had healed, but he didn’t really care. Scars are cool, they tell a story, show one’s strength. 

He walked towards the kitchen, and almost missed Sapnap, who was awake on his phone, sitting on the couch. 

“How long have you been up?”

“Huh? Oh, about an hour or so.” 

“Why didn’t you come to wake me? I would’ve gotten up.” 

Sapnap jokingly scoffed, continuing to scroll through his Twitter feed. “No, you wouldn't have.” 

“What?” 

“Please, George had you trapped.”

Dream coughed, not knowing his friend had peeked into the room. “Uhm, I’m gonna make eggs, want some?” Sapnap hummed in response. Dream set Patches food down on the ground, and she quickly jumped off the counter. 

“Dream?” 

“Mhm?” 

“Why don’t you just ask him out already.” 

“What? Are you crazy?” 

“What?” 

“I’m not gonna go around ruining things.”

“He literally went to ask you a question, and you guys ended up  _ cuddling _ for the night!” 

“I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”

“Trust me,  _ I know _ .” 

Dream sighed, placing the pan on the stovetop, turning his back to Sapnap, who was now sitting at the kitchen island. He stared at the wall. “I like him, don’t I?” 

“Yep, you’re in deep.” 

“That’s the first time I’ve said that you know.” 

“Not the first time you’ve  _ realized _ , though.” 

And with that, George stumbled out of Dream’s room and onto a seat at the island. “Good morning, sleepyhead!” Sapnap ruffled the hair of George, who was clearly  _ not _ enjoying the attention. Dream slid a plate to his friends. The eggs and bacon hadn’t taken long to cook in the pan, and they were already almost done. 

“I have an idea.” Dream began to speak. 

“And that is?”

“Roller skating.” No one had said anything, and Dream looked back and forth at his friends. “Is someone gonna say something? Anything?” 

“I’m not very good at it…” George nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ll help you both! I’m actually very good at it.” 

“Alright! Let’s do it.” Sapnap jumped excitedly. 

Dream shared a smile between him and his friends and began to put food onto their plates. “Perfect! Eat up, you’ll probably be hungry by the time we are done.” 

They began to eat, and Dream got up to go get dressed. He wanted to be comfortable, but still wanted to look nice, so spent a little longer putting an outfit together than he’d like to admit. While getting dressed, his phone rang. 

* * *

  
“Hello?” 

“Hey, Dream!” 

“Drista! How are you?” 

“I’m good! How are you and your friends?” 

“Everything’s going smoothly!” 

“That’s great! Now, to what I  _ really _ called about. Did you tell George?” 

“...no”

“Are you going to?” 

“I’m gonna try.”

“Great!” 

“You just want to tease me for liking someone.”

“...maybe” 

The siblings talked for a little while, Drista checking up on her brother and his injured hand. Dream’s mom had called Drista from the phone, and she had to go. Saying their goodbyes, Dream left his room and found his friends talking in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty uneventful chapter, but I plan on updating again tonight while i'm feeling motivated!


	15. car rides

Mirrors always bothered George a bit. Why would someone want to watch themself? If you already know what you look like, why should you check again? One’s face can’t and won't change within a day. Looking at himself kinda bothered George, so he tried not to do it often.

But today? Today George studied himself. He reflected on Dream’s words. Had Dream _really_ thought he was pretty? He could tell Dream _wasn't_ lying, since he became all flustered, acting as if he had liked George too. Was that even possible?

The third day here and George is already dying to know, dying trying to stay this way. _Just friends_ , George reminded himself. They were _just_ friends.

Then why did they almost kiss? Friends don’t kiss. George had met with online friends before, and it hadn’t been like this. Hell, Sapnap wasn't acting like this. Not. Normal. A knock at the bathroom door pulled George out of his thoughts, which he was pretty thankful for. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulled at his sweatshirt one last time, and opened the door.

“Sorry, Sapnap! I took longer than expected.” A cheerful smile shared between the two.

“No worries! Dream isn’t ready yet, so no need to fret about the time.” George nodded, leaving the bathroom, and unplugging his phone from the wall. 

It only took a few short minutes for Sapnap to join him, standing in the kitchen. The air wasn't awkward, just _too_ silent.

“I like him.” Sapnap looked up from his phone.

“Hmm?”

“Dream. I like Dream.” Sapnap smiled, powering off his phone and shoving it in his pocket.

“Finally realized?”

“No. Finally admitted it. You were right.” Sapnap laughed, putting a confident look on his face. George scoffed at his cocky friend. “I never thought I would ever say that to you.” Sapnap lightly punched him in the arm, and George simply sighed, the laughter in the air dissolving. “What do I do?”

“What do you mean? Go for it! Tell him the truth!”

“I don’t want to say anything he won't agree with. What if he doesn’t like _me_?”

“You’re still blind? Here, I’ll help you out. Give me a list of things you’ve noticed that Dream has said/done to you that could mean s _omething, anything_.”

“Well, we've cuddled for both nights I’ve been here. His eyes sparkled, he rested his hand on my thigh in the car-”

“He did?”

“Shush! I’m thinking. I’m pretty sure he wanted to kiss me at the beach, and he called me pretty last night. He blushes around me. Oh! The way he holds me, and he winked at me.” George probably talked for a few minutes, naming all the things that had gone on in the past few days. Sapnap’s smile seemed to grow, noticing the way George was _so_ happy talking about Dream.

“And what do you think _all_ those things mean?”

“It could be platonic-”

“Bro! He’d _never_ pull shit like that with me, and I’ve been friends with him longer than you have! Almost kissing is _not_ platonic. Don’t you see the pattern?”

George sighed. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“so you’ll tell him?”

“How can I?”

“You’ll know when the time is right.” George’s frown turned to a slight smile.

“Thank you, Sapnap.”

“Of course! I told you I’d be here for you. Now, excited to fall today?” The conversation continued, the topics proving to be much lighter than the first had been.

“Sorry I took so long! Drista called me. Are you guys ready?” The familiar voice matching the face that George had missed. It had only been a little over an hour at this point, but it was enough for George to long to see Dream again. _Fuck_ , he had it bad. A bit flustered, he managed to mutter a response.

“Yep!” Voice crack. A _really_ bad voice crack. Sapnap and Dream both shot each other a look.

“You good, George?”

He swallowed hard, feeling embarrassment throughout his body. “Mhm! Let’s go.” He turned away from his friends and walked out the door, feeling extremely awkward. 

* * *

The radio was played at a low volume, allowing an opening for any conversation that might strike. Sapnap was well distracted in his phone, most likely using the time to cram last-minute info for his exams. George looked around, noticing Dream oddly fixated on the road. He seemed distracted, almost...angry. He hated seeing Dream upset, knowing that he’d find any way to blame himself for whatever the fuck was going on.

Looking down, Dream’s right hand lay idly on the center console, the only thing that was separating them. He had to think for a second, to make sure he wanted to do this. Then he jumped the gun, slowly sliding his hand into Dream’s, interlocking their fingers. He squeezed the younger’s hand, glancing back up at him.

His face seemed eased, and a little flushed. George turned back to the window in order to look at the passing trees and cars, not letting go of Dream’s hand for the entire ride. He only seemed to notice Sapnap was still there when he sent George a picture of them over Snapchat. He shot a glare back at the man in the backseat, who physically couldn’t stop laughing. Dream’s eyebrows raised.

“And what are you laughing about?”

“Nothing!”

Dream sighed, a smile spread across his face. “Well, we're here! So get yourselves situated, I’m gonna go make sure we can _actually_ get in.” Dream left in the car, and George immediately turned around to Sapnap, practically jumping in his seat.

“What the hell, Sapnap?!”

“You guys are so cute!” George scoffed and faced forward in the car. “You think Dream’s actually good at this? He’s really fucking clumsy.”

“Judging by the fact that he has his _own pair_ of skates back here, I wouldn't put it past you.” George heard rustling from behind him. “These things are pretty beat up, you’d think he’d get a new pair.”

“They’re my lucky pair, Sapnap. I’ve learned not to skate without them.” He turned, not realizing that Dream was standing at the open window.

“And what happens when you don’t wear them?”

“The last time? Nearly broke my ankle. Anytime I roller skate without those, I _always_ fall.”

George chuckled, Sapnap being the only one responding to the remark. “I’d pay to see that happen.”

Dream rolled his eyes and opened the door, closing the windows, and taking out his keys. “Ready?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things will soon pick up speed, don't worry :)
> 
> the fic is coming closer to the end, i plan on writing 20 chapters at most. when this one is done, i will start a new one, and might write some one-shots :) thank you for all the support! <3


	16. roller skating

* * *

Dream grabbed his green old skates from the backseat and locked the car.

“To be honest, there are literally 2 other people in there, so it should be easier to help you guys out. I’ll pay for your skates, and you two can just grab whatever size you need.”

“Dream, you can’t pay for everything-”

“George, I can, and I will.”

They walked in stern silence to the front desk. Dream didn’t mean to let his frustration with himself clear, but since George had already noticed while they were in the car, he didn’t really care. He paid for the two pairs they needed, and a smaller price for his own admission.

They entered the locker room, and Dream shoved their phones, keys, shoes, and anything else of importance in, locking them safely inside. He untied his roller skates, being as delicate as possible. He may not have done this in a few months, but he remembered exactly what to do. Looking up, he double-checked that his friends weren't struggling with the laces.

“Let’s go skate!” 

Honestly, Dream missed skating. He normally didn’t like to go alone, which is why he hadn’t gone in a little while. But the second he stepped onto the rink, he took off, going as fast as he really could. The previous people had left, leaving the three men alone on the large rink.

George and Sapnap went much slower, mesmerized by the fact that Dream was literally going _backward_. He took the first lap, allowing the light wind to blow through his fluffy hair. When he reached his friends, he showed himself down, keeping pace with the beginners.

“H-how did you-” Sapnap asked, skating next to a wobbly, but just as shocked, George.

They spent a lot of time simply skating around before Dream tried to convince his friends to skate faster with him. “Someone’s _gotta_ come with me.”

He offered his hand, and Sapnap decided to go first. He gave his tips and pointers to sapnap, who clearly did not want to embarrass himself. He refused to use Dream as support, wanting to prove himself a good skater (which he was not).

Once he told them to go, Sapnap did pretty well but fell onto his ass when he tried to go backward. Dream went into a fit of wheezing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.

“You should’ve let me help you.”

Sapnap stood up and wiped any dirt off himself. “I’d say I did pretty damn well.”

“And I’d agree with you.” The pair slowed down, reaching where George waited on the side.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

“Alright, Sapnap!” He slipped off his skate and walked towards the _s_ ign, leaving Dream and George alone. He offered out a hand to the older man, “Are you ready?” He once again explained his tips, going over them slower since he could see the nerves in George’s face. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I really don’t want to hit the deck.”

Dream smiled. “I won't let you.”

The pair took off, easing into it, much slower than he and Sapnap had. Once George had gotten the hang of things, Dream picked up speed, not letting go of George’s hand. If George were to go down, he was going with him. He followed George’s foot pattern, and synced it, being able to backward in front of George.

Having the lead, he told George how to spin. He was confused until Dream lifted his hand up, and George twirled perfectly underneath. 

It wasn't a race, like how it had been with Sapnap. This was new, a feeling that Dream was not used to. They skated in silence, but the kind of silence you would welcome. He decided to spin George once again, but the other had probably forgotten how to since he stumbled backward.

There was clearly fear in his eyes, and he closed them, bracing for the impact that he never experienced. He flinched as Dream’s arm went right under his back, catching him mid-air. When George opened his eyes, Dream simply stared back at him with a smile.

“I told you I wouldn't let you fall.” Neither of the men moved, simply studying each other’s eyes was enough. The tension rose, and he could’ve sworn that he saw George stare at his lips.

“Ahem!” Dream and George both jumped, him pushing George to a safe standing position. “Our hour to be here is up! If you two love birds don’t get out we'll get kicked out _without_ our things.”

“Shit! We're coming!”

Sapnap pulled the locker keys out of his pocket. “I’ll meet you guys there!”

George hadn’t moved, so Dream once again offered his hand. “Shall we?”

George took it, nodding. “We shall.” They skated off, returning their borrowed skates, and walking out to the hot car.

After the short ride home, Sapnap approached his friends. “I’m gonna go see my friend for a few hours, I’ll be home by dinner time. Is that alright?”

“Of course, Sapnap! Have fun, and text me when you’re headed home so I can start dinner!”

“Great! See you guys later!” Sapnap was out the door, leaving Dream and George alone.

“Do you want to do anything?”

George sighed. “Do you have any Advil? I have a headache.”

“Yeah, let me grab it for you.” Dream got up, grabbing some Advil from the bathroom and a glass of water from the kitchen. “Here you go, you should probably lay down for a while. I’ll wake you up when dinner is ready!”

George smiled, taking the things from Dream’s hands. “Thanks. And sorry for making you get this stuff for me, I don’t wanna be a burden.”

“You are not a burden, George. Now go get some rest.” George reluctantly went off into the guest room, and Dream sat on the couch, putting some music in his AirPods and playing some music, before unintentionally dozing off himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff on roller skates? sapnap is the biggest fucking third wheel ever
> 
> sorry for no update yesterday! i was really anxious and was having a bit of a rough day. i am feeling much better now, and am ready to bang out the last few chapters! thank you all, and stay safe! <3


	17. truth or dare

* * *

George looked around. How did he get back on the beach? The beach they had gone to only yesterday. There was no one else there, just George alone, standing on the sand.

“George?” He whipped his head around to find Dream, waiting for George.

“Dream?” He approached the younger man. “Why are we here?”

“You know why we're here. You’ve thought about me before.” George gulped, he didn’t know how to react. How did Dream just _know_? He seemed so sure of it, more sure than George himself had been.

“Just tell me, George.” He leaned down, both feeling each other’s breath. His hand placed on George’s side, finding the place where it fits perfectly. “Just tell me how you feel.” His heartbeat was faster than it had before. He placed his hand onto Dream’s face, moving his thumb back and forth. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered and fluttered.

“I love you, Dream.” The silence was louder than the waves.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” Their heads pushed together, breath falling as they kissed. And then…

...then George woke up. He sighed _,_ rolling over and grabbing his phone. 4:55 pm, Dream would definitely come to wake him up soon. Closing his eyes again, his dream wouldn't leave his mind. He didn’t know how much longer he could deal with this, how much longer George could go without making a move.

Dream did show affection, but George would write it off as platonic. It was a joke, it was _always_ a joke. At least, that’s what George always thought. His feelings were killing him, he felt like he was drowning. This was wrong. Dream would surely find him disgusting.

He pressed his eyes closed harder, all his frustration he had against himself building up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“George? Are you alright?” He shot up in bed, sitting up straight and glancing up at a confused Dream.

“Y-yeah. I’m good.”

“You sure?” Dream sat at the end of the bed. “We can talk about it if you want.”

George shook his head. “It’s ok, just a weird dream.”

“Ahh, I see.” Dream stood up. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the kitchen!” He smiled and opened the door. He really didn’t want Dream to leave. Looking up, he had turned around at the door. “Seriously, George. If you need me, _plea_ s _e_ tell me.”

“Thank you, Dream.”

“Of course.” 

Dinner went well, and Sapnap had gotten home just in time to eat with them. They watched TV as they ate, his immature friends insisted on putting on Spongebob. The idiots still laughed at the children’s show.

After Dream had washed the dishes, the group of three sat in the living room and aimlessly scrolled through their phones, showing each other anything they found even remotely funny. They were all pretty quiet until Sapnap decided that he was tired of it.

“Can we do something? I’m bored.” Dream threw his phone to the side, focusing on the new conversation. George followed suit, powering off his already dying phone.

“I don’t really want to watch a movie, and a board game or video game doesn’t sound great.” Dream answered. 

“Wanna play truth or dare?”

George scoffed. “What are we, twelve?”

“Do you have any other ideas, George?”

“...no.”

“Then let’s get going!”  
  


The truths and dares started so simply. Sapnap first asked Dream, who started with a dare. He had to take a spoonful of the worst condiment he had. In which he did, not that he enjoyed it, but he did it.

They took turns, talking about their first kisses, embarrassing stories, doing random dares, and they were having a ton of fun. The boys laughed at each other for hours. The questions became a bit more secretive, which was a good thing. 

“Sapnap, truth, or dare."

“Truth!”

“Alright, who do you currently have your eye on?”

“Do I _have_ to answer this question?”

“Yeah? Obviously.” Sapnap gulped, his eyes wandering around the room. He went silent, George and Dream keeping their gazes on him. “Are you ok, Sapnap?”

"Yeah, umm, promise not to make fun of me, right?" 

"Of course not! We really don't care whoever you like man." Dream shot a confused look at George. 

"Umm, ok." Sapnap took a big gulp. "I kinda, uh, I kinda like Karl."

"Good for you, man!" Dream reached over and gave him a playful punch in the arm. 

"You're fine with that?"

"Duh! I think you should go for it!"

"Maybe, who knows!" Sapnap smiled, giddy with his friends' support. The questions got lighter. They eventually started asking things they already knew.

“George! Truth or dare?” Sapnap giggled.

“Fuck it, dare.”

“Give me a forehead kiss.”

George spit out his water. “What?”

“You heard me, kiss the homies!”

“That’s so stupid.” George sighed _,_ getting up and doing as the dare said.

Dream didn’t understand why a bit of jealousy stung his heart. It’s not like Dream and George were anything _more_ than friends, and he was perfectly fine with that. Right?

When George sat back on the couch, he sat closer to Dream than before. Any chance he got, he moved closer to Dream.

How has Truth or Dare _not_ given him the chance to admit everything? All the good truth questions went to Sapnap and Dream, and even so, Dream didn’t even get ones that could help him open up if he wanted to. I mean, Sapnap was there, and it would probably be quite awkward.

“I think I’m done, I’m gonna head to the bathroom now.”

“Ok, Sapnap!” Dream yelled back, and once he left the room, turned his head towards George, who was _much_ closer than he had anticipated. George heard the younger man’s breath hitch. “We should, uh, we should go to bed.” He raised his hand, holding onto Dream’s jaw.

“I’m not done yet, Dream." George tightened his grip. "Truth, or dare?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> truth or dare about to get REAL spicy-


	18. dare

* * *

He gulped, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

“Dare.” Dream didn’t know how he was still breathing. George was there, in front of him, holding onto his face.

“You said a song reminded you of me,” George slowly blinked, looking down at Dream’s lips, then back up at his eyes, “I dare you to show me it.” Oh. _Fuck._

“A-are you sure? I don’t think-”

“I’m sure.”

Dream nodded, grabbing his phone off the table. His fingers were shaking as he navigated to Spotify, opening his favorited songs, and it is at the top. He tapped play, turning up the volume, and placing the phone in between them. 

> _Have you got color in your cheeks?_
> 
> _Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type_
> 
> _That sticks around like summat in your teeth?_
> 
> _Are there some aces up your sleeve?_

Dream looked back up at George, who never took his eyes off the younger. George grabbed Dream’s hands, and Dream didn’t back away. 

> _Have you no idea that you're in deep?_
> 
> _I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week_

His eyes navigated the other, observing every detail of his face. 

> _How many secrets can you keep?_
> 
> _'Cause there's this tune I found_
> 
> _That makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat_
> 
> _Until I fall asleep, spillin' drinks on my settee_

George smiled, and Dream couldn’t help but smirk right back at him. 

> _Do I wanna know?_
> 
> _If this feelin' flows both ways?_
> 
> _(Sad to see you go) Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay_

George’s hand moved up, from Dream’s palm to his wrist, to his forearm, his bicep, and his shoulder. It stopped on his neck, a shiver pulsing through his entire body. 

> _(Baby, we both know) That the nights were mainly made_
> 
> _For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day_

Dream moved his right hand to George’s hips, finding its way under his shirt. His left hand placed on his jaw, fingers wrapped around the back of his head. 

> _Crawlin' back to you_
> 
> _Ever thought of callin' when_
> 
> _You've had a few?_
> 
> _'Cause I always do_

George’s right hand was placed on Dream’s neck, the other under his arm and on his back. Both of their breaths slowed, faces gradually inching towards the other. They stayed still for a second, allowing both of them to make sure they _wanted_ this.

And they did. There was plenty of time for anyone to back away, but neither did. Dream brought their faces together, and their kiss started out slow.

> _Maybe I'm too_
> 
> _Busy bein' yours_
> 
> _To fall for somebody new_
> 
> _Now, I've thought it through_
> 
> _Crawlin' back to you_

And then it sped up. Neither of them held back. Their arms gracefully moved around, exploring the person they’ve wanted to for so long. No one had pulled back, even if they both desperately needed air. The song drowned out, them both being too distracted to care about their surroundings. 

“Hey guys, I’m back-” Sapnap looked at the couch, an unknown song playing as he walked in on his two best friends literally making out. “Ok then, guess y’all figured it out.” Neither acknowledged his existence, so he went into the guest room and locked the door, putting in his AirPods and distracting himself. 

Back in the living room, Dream and George hadn’t stopped, both enjoying every second of the night that passed. This wasn't a simple kiss, something stupid that you’d do as a dare. This was a deep kiss, a passionate kiss that showed no sign of ending.

Neither wanted to end the kiss, but both desperately needed air. By the time they separated, the song had ended, and both were practically gasping for air.

“That was,” Dream tried to catch his breath enough to speak, “amazing.” George smiled, nodding his head in agreeance.

“Again?”

“This way.” Dream got up, pulling George’s hand towards his room. “Privacy.” Dream sat on his bed, George sitting next to him.

He turned over, and before either of them could make another move, began to speak.“You know we'll have to talk about this in the morning.”

Dream’s gaze fluttered from George’s eyes to his lips, and back up to his eyes. “Good thing it’s not morning.”

This time, they didn’t ease into it. George straddled across Dream’s lap, and they went straight at it, finally doing what they wanted to days ago. Dream had made his way to George’s jaw, down his neck, and George’s hands explored him. How long did they stay like this? Long enough to leave marks and exhaust both of them. 

When they had finished, they lay in a tangled mess, breathing much heavier than they were the last time they had cuddled. Their chests rose and fell in sync. Dream ran his fingers through his own hair, before resting his head onto it. Both of their faces were red, lips somewhat swollen, marks littered on both of the men’s necks. Although his eyes were closed, a smile still laid on his face.

“George?”

“Yeah?”

“I just-” He sighed. “I love you, a-and I have for a while but I didn’t think you felt the same. And I don’t know what this means for us, but I-” He was greeted with George’s lips on his for a split second.

“God, you talk too much sometimes.” He felt George lay back in his arms, his head on Dream’s. “I love you too, idiot.”

And with that, he planted a kiss on George’s forehead and went to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a bit cliche but i will only serve happy endings :) once again, the song is "do i wanna know" by arctic monkeys
> 
> next chapter will be the last! however, it'll be more like an epilogue. BUT!!! i will be starting a new fic within the next few days. i just wanna prepare a few chapters before releasing any.


	19. and that, i do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! important message at the bottom !!

* * *

It still felt like it happened yesterday, every time Dream woke up to George lying asleep next to him, he smiled, and pulled him closer. He didn’t know if he could be more happy, waking up to his boyfriend by his side _every_ morning. It felt like a dream. As long as he didn’t have anything planned, they would simply lay together for hours, after feeding the cat.

Today, however, today Dream wouldn't return to their bed. Without waking George, he shuffled out of the room and fed his cat. Opening his phone, he called Sapnap.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sapnap!”

“It’s like, 8 a.m., why are you so excited?”

“You know what today is?” Dream smiled and guessed Sapnap did the same.

“God, you are _such_ a romantic sap.” Dream laughed. “So do you have something planned?”

“Of course I do! Who do you take me for?”

“You better text me how it goes.”

“Of course! You better text George before he wakes.”

“Alright, anything for you idiots.”

They talked for a while longer before Dream looked at the time. It was already 9 a.m., so Dream had to get going. He said his goodbyes and hung up, putting his phone down before going back to his room. He walked over to the side of the bed, lightly shaking his partner.

“George, you gotta wake up.”

“Hmm?”

“Wake up, Georgie! Big day today!”

“What time is it?” “9, why?”

“What are you doing waking me up at 9 in the morning?”

“Not important! You’ll realize once you check your phone.” He grabbed a few articles of clothing, along with a small amount of jewelry, and was already almost out the door. “Get dressed quickly, and in something nice!” 

If the shock of being woken up and told to quickly get ready wasn't enough, he checked the date on his phone, dually noticing Sapnap’s text. George practically jumped out of bed, getting dressed as quickly as possible, while still putting together a nice outfit for whatever Dream had planned for the day.

When he went to the kitchen, he decided to brew a cup of coffee, since he was still exhausted. He was only surprised when he felt arms wrap around his waist, and a head burrows into the crook of his neck.

“Good morning, Dream."

“Mmm.” The younger muttered into his skin. “You know what today is?”

He felt a smile grow on his boyfriend’s face. “Of course I do.”

George put down his mug and turned to give him a kiss. “Happy anniversary, Dream.” 

For both of them, the past 3 years had been the happiest years of their lives. After they _finally_ confessed to each other, they had gotten together. George had spent almost 3 months in Florida before he went back home. He didn’t spend long in Britain, and soon officially moved in with Dream in Florida. The two were happy together and managed to keep their relationship pretty private.

Their friends were overly happy for them, some, like Tommy, being completely shocked when they were told the news. What did they tell the fans? Quite little, actually. Dream kept his face private, and the only thing they let known was the fact that they lived on the same continent now. No one had even known they were living together, so it wasn't questioned that they could actually be _together_. 

* * *

The car ride was quiet, music playing softly in the background. Like in the past, Dream rested his hand on George’s thigh, and his heart fluttered. He would never get tired of it. He placed his hand back on Dream’s and continued to look out the window. Today, Dream brought them back to all the places they went on George’s first week in Florida. Although Sapnap wasn't there to relive it with them, they still had a great time.

Overdressed for everything, they went roller skating, then to the Chinese restaurant, and walked around the beach for a long time. The day had been absolutely perfect, and George couldn’t ask for anything more. The bench allowed them to sit and watch the sunset in comfortable silence, George being unsure if he should speak or not when Dream cleared his voice.

“You know, this isn’t a great place to see the stars.”

“Why not?”

“Too many trees.” Dream stood up, offering a hand to George. He didn’t say anything, but George still took it, and they were soon back in the car, driving away from the beach.

“This is the opposite way from home.”

“I know.” George was ultimately confused, but went along with it, watching the sky darken as they pulled onto a dirt road.

“You aren’t going to kill me, right?”

Dream chuckled. “Of course not! Why would I do that, George?”

“I don’t know, maybe you hate me.”

“If I hated you, would I have been dating you for the past three years?” slightly flushed, George turned towards the window and watched the trees open into a clearing. 

The field was full of flowers, all fully bloomed. It seemed to go on forever, a beautiful array of flourishing plants. Dream stopped the car, turning it off, and opening the door.

“Where are we?” Dream didn’t answer, instead, opening George’s door and taking his hand and helping him out. If George noticed the absolute terror in his eyes, the lump in his throat, then he didn’t comment on it. Dream pulled him into the field and looked upwards. He was too distracted to notice Dream placing his phone against a rock, camera pointed right at them. “Wow.”

“Pretty, right?”

“Yeah...it’s gorgeous.” George and Dream were simply standing there, fingers interlaced, looking up at the night’s sky. George noticed Dream fidgeting, nervously looking back and forth between him and the sky. His heart was beating out of his chest.

“Dream? Are you alright?”

“Me? Yeah, I just-” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, don’t worry about it.” They started silently pointing out constellations, admiring the blinking stars. “George?”

“Mmm?”

“I just wanted to say that, umm, I love you.”

“I know that, Dream-”

“I’m not done.” He cleared his throat, George feeling a tug from his hand. And when he looked to his right, Dream was no longer standing. “I love you _so_ much, and these last three years have been the best of my entire life. _You_ have made the past three years amazing. So, I’m here, asking you, if you’d like to spend many, many more years with me.” Dream choked a bit, taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts. “George, will you marry me?” Time stopped, George was taken aback, barely processing what was happening in front of him. His hands were in front of his mouth, which had opened due to pure shock. “As much as I’d like to cherish this, my knee is really hurting down here, so please say something.” A weary, nervous, but happy smile written on his face. 

“Of course I’ll marry you.” Dream smiled, taking George’s hand, and sliding the beautiful ring onto his finger. 

Dream stood up, delicately grabbing George’s face and wiped the tears that were falling from his eyes. He rested their foreheads together, both happily crying. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He pulled him into a long hug.

“Gosh, you have no idea how many times I rehearsed that.”

They left not before Dream grabbed his phone off the ground. George heard a few screenshots being taken before he opened the camera app, and they took a few more pictures, some including the new ring. The car ride was the same as before, but the air felt known, and George’s smile hadn’t waned since it appeared.

“Oh shit!” Dream grabbed his phone from his pocket, handing it over to George. “Can you call Sapnap? I completely forgot!”

“Yeah, I got it.” The phone rang a few times before he finally answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey! I’m driving, so you’re on speaker now.”

“Oh, hi George!”

“Hey!”

“You sound happy! Why…?”

“Well, I may or may not have asked him a certain question.”

“And I may or may not have said yes.”

“Huh?” Sapnap took a moment to think. “Oh. Oh! Holy shit, congrats!” They both laughed, Sapnap getting more excited as time passed. “Woo! That’s literally crazy! Fucking congrats!”

“Thank you, Sapnap.”

“So is anyone gonna thank me for anything else?”

“You? For what?”

“Please! You two wouldn't be sitting in that car together if it wasn't for me, _the_ _best_ wingman _ever_.” Dream chuckled, moving his hand to meet with George’s.

“You’re such a dumbass.” 

When they finally got home, Dream sat on the couch. George was ready to lay down, infatuated by the ring that was on his finger. He never wanted to take it off.

“George?”

“Mhm?”

“Is it alright if I post this? It would go on Twitter and then Instagram.”

George walked over to the couch and looked over Dream’s shoulder at his phone. It was a collection of 4 images and a simple caption. The first was Dream kneeling in the flower field, holding the ring box and looking up at a shocked George, then looking like shadows in the dark field.

The second was their silhouettes when he pulled him in and touched their foreheads together. Then another of their silhouettes, except when he pulled the other in for a quick kiss. The final was one of the ones they had taken by the car, George’s hand pulled up to the phone, both of their faces clearly in the frame.

The caption said: _._ _@GeorgeNotFound guess we're getting married now, yikes. (jk i love you so much, Georgie)_

George looked back at Dream, who had a giddish smile across his face.

“Are you sure you want to?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Then do it.”

He pressed send, George’s phone immediately lighting up from the notification. The platform practically exploded, the two watching as their timelines refreshed with surprise, and friends texted them and replied to the tweet. _#dreamnotfound_ was trending within minutes, causing a laughing fit to strike through the couple. _#dreamfacereveal_ was trending not long after.

In only 15 minutes, it was now his most liked tweet. They called any family members they needed to, and Drista teased him about it (of course). When they were finally done, George went in the shower, and Dream went out of the window and sat on the roof. George finished quickly, walking back to their bedroom and the open window.

“Can I join you?” Dream nodded, and George sat next to him, leaning his head on the younger man’s shoulder. Dream wrapped his arm around him, holding him close. “Thank you, Dream.”

“For?”

“For being the best.” Dream smiled, and George looked back up at the stars.

“Have I ever told you that you’re pretty, George?” A sheepish smile grew on George’s face.

“You’re such an idiot.” A quick kiss and they sat with their faces close together.

“But you love me.”

“And that, I do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end! (it was so cliche omg) thank you so much for the endless support on this story, it forever means the world to me! by the time this is out, i will be about to post the first chapter of my next fic, which will be a high school au! this was super fun to write, and thank you for continuing to read it. you all are amazing, and the feedback helped so much.


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